Watertown, MA Police Department Installs Genetec's Security Center In New Public Safety Building

The city of Watertown, Massachusetts, lies less than ten miles west of Boston. Though only 4.2 square miles, the town is home to a population just shy of 32,000. The city's history goes back quite far, with the first officially designated police officers assigned to duty starting in 1864. Since then, the department has grown considerably to accommodate the increased population. Watertown PD now employs around 90 people, nearly 70 of whom are police officers. The department is housed in a brand new, 34,500 square foot, three-floor public safety building. It is home to all of the department's operations, holding detectives, administration offices, armoury holding cells, an evidence room, a booking department, a shooting range, a fitness room, the dispatch center and public spaces for visitors.

While selecting and configuring security solutions in any given use-case is a delicate endeavour, a public safety facility dictates some of the most demanding needs. A police department of this size requires precisely configured functionality to meet its high-intensity and legally dictated requirements. It also necessitates a highly robust, nearly foolproof system that can run smoothly even when failing over or placed under stress. Moreover, facilities like Watertown's, which smartly place all operations under one roof, require an even wider functionality set and even more powerful management platform in order to appropriately handle the needs of everything from an office to a holding cell.