With thousands of commuters every day, Washington, D.C. metro police had a difficult challenge - monitor and secure the stops, and subway cars, on the city's public transportation system.

So the department recently invested in several security upgrades including a new Security Operations Control Center where they can monitor video surveillance cameras, radio communications, security alarms, fire alarms, and chemical detection systems all in one location.

The difference having a centralized security headquarters made as evident almost immediately. Chief Ron Pavlik says that in 2015 alone they've made "over 500 adult arrests, over 200 cases are closed, and over 100 cases were unfounded." During that time they had over 6,200 requests for video.

Watching security video in real time helps you spot suspicious activity as it happens, increasing response time and decreasing crimes and other activity. Surveillance cameras also increase the effectiveness of security forces - instead of being limited by what they can see around them, the person monitoring cameras can watch multiple feeds at once and direct security to the areas that need it.

Read more from WTOP. If you are a security director and want to learn more about how video surveillance can help you, contact our experts today.

Since the installation of over 17,000 security cameras in its stations and vehicles, SEPTA has significantly reduced annual losses from bogus injury and damages claims reports the Security Industry Administration (SIA).

Notably, between 2012 and 2013, SEPTA recorded that the amount it had spent on claims dropped by $11 million, with its overarching goal of saving 4-5% more this fiscal year. Reaching this goal would drop claim payments down to $9 million, calculates the SIA.

Acting General Counsel Gino Benedetti says, "Not only is the payout going down, but somewhat more importantly, the number of claims and the number of lawsuits is going down." This suggests that the surveillance cameras have acted as an effective deterrent to passengers who want to take advantage of the system.

The footage of reported incidents, typically made by passengers, is carefully scrutinized by SEPTA lawyers as well the district attorney's office. The surveillance footage allows them to review exactly what happened to determine if the claim carries weight. If the claim is deemed fraudulent, the case is thrown out. It's a win-win for SEPTA.

We are now offering two new Axis cameras that are specially designed for installing in buses, trains and other transportation vehicles. Featuring a compact and flat design, the Axis M3133-R and the Axis M3114-R are mini domes with weatherproof IP67-rated housing. These rugged cameras can even withstand being immersed in water temporarily.

VideoSurveillance.com has added new pages with information about using video surveillance on a variety of residential, industrial and transportation boats, as well as marinas.

With security threats increasing, transportation video surveillance systems are routinely being used to create a safer and more secure environment for passengers and mass transit employees. Public transit systems like buses, taxis, subways, trains, and airports are all benefiting from expanding surveillance technology capabilities that make implementing an IP camera system easy.

In New York City, where millions of people ride the subway each day, video surveillance is playing a key role in keeping crime to a minimum. Currently there are 3100 cameras installed in New York's subway stations, and the city intends to add another 1000 cameras by the end of the year.

Axis Communications is involved in a large-scale bus surveillance project in Prague. The deployment features 3.500 Axis 209FD-R network cameras monitoring the interior of each vehicle in the city's fleet of public transit buses. The cameras will improve passenger and driver security, and will also provide visual evidence to help solve crimes such as vandalism and theft.

The Metro Area Transit (MAT) system in Omaha, Nebraska is not only getting a new fleet of buses this year, but also a full set of surveillance cameras for each vehicle. Five strategically placed security cameras will be installed in each bus to provide comprehensive monitoring.

Arizona's Page Municipal Airport recently upgraded its video surveillance system to better protect the 60,000 tourists expected to pass through its gates this year. The new airport surveillance system features IP cameras operating over a wireless mesh network. The network also supports access control and a connection to a remote command center accessible to local-area police.

SkyTrain stations serving riders throughout British Columbia are now being monitored by a digital IP-based surveillance system. The new system gives police officers the ability to view footage remotely, and quickly retrieve images that might be useful for tracking down suspects, while offering valuable visual evidence of any noteworthy activity.

Mentioning a "burnout" can mean many things - your friend from high school who spends his days playing video games in his parents' basement, or what your blender did when you got a little too excited about making gazpacho. In Christchurch, New Zealand, however, officials are happier about stopping a different kind of burnout with roadside surveillance cameras.

Railway stations across Japan are expanding their video surveillance systems as anti-terrorist measures are imposed leading up to this summer's G-8 summit in Hokkaido. Tokyo Metro, which has already expanded its surveillance efforts to include 2,800 security cameras in 161 train stations, plans on increasing that number to 5,700 cameras by 2011.

San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System is poised to roll out an expanded system of onboard security cameras for its buses and trolleys. The aim is to equip all buses and trolleys with surveillance cameras and digital video recorders within the next two years. A federal grant will pay for the cameras as well as the installation.

Surveillance from a TriMet bus in Portland, Oregon is the last time that anyone saw Heidi Anderson - and her family hopes that this glimpse of the 37 year old woman can help find her and bring her home. Anderson has been missing for nearly two weeks.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is working on a project that will enable emergency responders to access video streams from highway traffic cameras in real time. The DOT would transmit the video feeds to a central, web-based source, making the live footage viewable over the Internet. Once in place, the new system will provide responders with the ability to see what's going on along I-95 so they can move faster and dispatch the proper personnel and equipment in cases of emergency.

There are a number of factors which help make the case for video surveillance on buses and other forms of public transportation. Security cameras can protect passengers and drivers from acts of violence. They can prove useful in identifying criminal suspects, and they can serve as deterrents to inappropriate behavior. In San Francisco, recently released surveillance footage highlights another benefit of video security on buses - monitoring driver behavior. The videos, which shed light on driver misconduct within the city's Muni bus system, include instances of accidents, injuries, threats, and insults.

North County, California didn't cut corners when it came to security for its new Sprinter rail line, which is expected to start transporting travelers between Escondido and Oceanside next month. Security cameras will closely monitor all 15 stations along the line, as well as parking lots, rails, and train cars. Video images are sent to 48-screen control room located in the Sprinter operations center in Escondido.

47 light-rail stations in the Sacramento Regional Transit District are now monitored by a combination of fixed megapixel cameras and PTZ security cameras. The new surveillance system provides police and security personnel with real-time video feeds of activity in and around the stations.

Using funds from the Department of Homeland Security, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will soon upgrade its surveillance equipment at select stations to include video analytics, or "exception detection," as they're calling it. Exception detection systems use sophisticated software to detect suspicious activities such as unattended packages, dubious individuals, and other potential threats.

TriMet's MAX light rail service, which transports riders throughout Portland, Oregon, and its surrounding areas, has come under fire because of the delayed installation of security cameras at the Gresham Central Transit Center. Currently, Gresham is the only city in the area that doesn't have security cameras monitoring its MAX line. While plans are in the works to install at least eight cameras at Gresham Central, the area continues to suffer from high crime rates.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART), which serves riders throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, has big plans for a major video surveillance overhaul aimed at protecting riders from everyday crime as well as the threat of terrorism. State-of-the-art security cameras will be placed in stations, along tracks, in all trains and parking lots, and throughout other BART facilities. While the transit system has an existing surveillance network, the new one will be far more comprehensive and will feature cutting-edge technology including IP cameras and sophisticated software capable of video analytics.

Visualize this scenario: You're sitting in bumper to bumper traffic in the Oldsmobile you inherited from your grandpa. The windows are rolled down because the air conditioning gave out years ago. A wall of heat encompasses you, and the cassette deck is jammed, stuck playing on a constant loop the Muppets tape you popped into the player two weeks ago for ironic purposes. You look to your left and to your dismay a Mazda Miata zips by with its top down revealing a lone rider, the driver, who's singing Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise" at the top of his lungs. You hear just enough for it to stick in your head, then raise your fist to the roof in a fit of rage. Sound familiar? Wait, are you telling me YOU are one of those people who illegally sneaks into the carpool lane in order to bypass hours of traffic each day? Well my friend, your day of reckoning may be just around the S-curve, thanks to a group of UK scientists who have developed a roadside surveillance camera that can actually calculate the number of people inside a moving vehicle. That's right. Welcome to the slow lane.

Usually, when parking a car in a lot at a mall, you get the standard security reminder: hide your belongings, lock your car, take your valuables with you. These are thought to be the best way to prevent break-ins, car theft, and expensive repair for things like broken windows. However, a rash of unusual crimes around the Washington, D.C. metro area has made parking lot security officials think twice about the standard precautions.

He said, she said...it's one of the oldest paradoxes of all time. How can two disparate opinions regarding the same issue be resolved? For hundred of years, it was a decision founded on trust, but in recent years, security cameras and video surveillance have been helpful arbiters when these issues arise. Officials at Trimet, Portland OR's public transit bureau, have come to painfully understand this dilemma in the past week.

The city of Moorpark, in Ventura County, Cal. will soon outfit its Metrolink station with six digital cameras aimed at preventing tagging, vandalism, and other crimes in the station as well as its parking areas. The train station has proven to be a popular target for graffiti artists who find its architectural design -- which includes elevated sidewalks, a large blank wall and benches -- irresistible.

TriMet, the public transportation authority for the Portland, OR metropolitan area, was recently awarded a $560,000 grant from the Transportation Safety Administration for the purpose of improving its CCTV infrastructure on the MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) light rail system.

In a long-delayed move, commuter parking lots in Clarkstown, NY will soon be equipped with CCTV security cameras. The installation will begin this summer. Currently cameras watch over the Nanuet train station, but an additional 8 cameras are set to be installed at the Exit 14 park-and-ride lot along Route 59. The cameras will serve to provide peace-of-mind for drivers concerned about their vehicles as well as their personal safety.

It's becoming more and more common to find security cameras aboard public modes of transportation such as buses and subway trains. These cameras work to protect drivers and passengers and to deter criminal activity and disorderly conduct. The Port Authority in Pittsburgh, Penn. has outfitted many of its buses with multiple surveillance cameras for those very reasons.

Many public transit systems across the country are turning to video surveillance as a way to increase safety for passengers and drivers. Such is the case in Summit County, Colo. where county commissioners are moving forward on a proposed project that will result in the installation of digital surveillance equipment on all Summit Stage buses.

If you live in a city or large town, chances are you've seen their footage on the news or noticed them on the freeway - traffic surveillance cameras are commonplace now on major arteries. In the United States, nearly every state has a dedicated arm of their department of transportation which maintains and monitors surveillance cameras on major roads, interstates, freeways and highways.

You've seen the commercials - the insurance spokesman describes a staged accident, where a car abruptly pulls in front of another car and immediately brakes - often resulting in a rear-end accident which is almost always the fault of the innocent driver.

One of the fastest growing markets for IP surveillance technology is public transportation. Buses, subways, transit depots and stations have been targets for vandalism, theft and violence for many years. Analog CCTV systems were installed in many cities with a mild degree of success, but their cumbersome equipment and limited technological capabilities made them an ineffective security solution.

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in southern Louisiana is comprised of two parallel bridges regarded as the most expansive in the world. The longer of the two bridges runs 23.87 miles. Clearly, a bridge system of this magnitude is quite difficult to monitor, but a recently installed $1.3 million surveillance camera system is helping to change that.