The City of Boerne’s Information Technology Department received an award for their work to retrofit a retired radar trailer into a mobile video security unit for the Boerne Police Department.
The 2022 Excellence Award was given to the IT department by the Texas Association of Government Information Technology Managers (TAGITM) at its annual conference in April. The award recognizes innovation and the application of leading-edge technologies.
“This award is a representation of the innovative technology solutions our employees work on every day at the City of Boerne,” Assistant IT Director Sheldon Cravey said. “We are proud to partner with our colleagues in the Streets and Parks departments to help Boerne Police keep our community safe.”
The project started with the Police Department’s need for a mobile video security solution to deploy at public events, remote locations, and places where reoccurring crimes have been recently committed, such as vehicle break-ins at local businesses. A new trailer would have cost the City $40-50,000. By utilizing a nonfunctioning radar trailer, the team was able to save money and use technology already on hand.
The team installed a 12-foot telescoping mast topped with four high-definition cameras. Routers placed inside the trailer stream live video to the police camera network, where it is viewable by officers in the field and by dispatchers. The team also added 300 watts of solar panels to the trailer’s roof to increase run time off grid.
The project, led by Cravey, utilized the skills and talent of staff from several City departments. Jonathon Rose and Bill Cass at the Streets Department assisted with their skills in metal fabrication and welding to make several modifications to the trailer. Miguel Marroquin from the Parks and Recreation Department lent his expertise with an airbrush to give the trailer a fresh coat of paint.
Completed six months ago, the new mobile security trailer was put into action right away, providing a valuable tool for the Police Department.
This is the second time Boerne IT has won this award; the first time being in 2015 for the department’s work on the Regional Public Safety Data Exchange and Communication project.
