The educational community of Garfield Public Schools (GPS) in New Jersey believes that the ultimate goal of each school is to provide intellectual experiences within the context of a multicultural setting. This type of environment will enable each student to achieve their maximum potential.
The district’s mission states that every school will continue to cultivate an appreciation of cultural and aesthetic values so that each student can make choices indicative of a knowledgeable and contributing member of a democratic society. To fulfill this role, the district is committed to creating a flexible educational environment by addressing the individualities and potentialities of each student.
Garfield staff has taken security at its facilities to a higher-quality level. Dave Koptyra, director of security at GPS, monitors and plans the security for 5,300 students who fill 14 schools as well as two administrative centers. “We have a mixed security solution in place right now,” Koptyra said. “We are moving everything to IP network cameras and we are building a backbone to hold all the IP cameras we’re installing. We will have more than 400 cameras when we’re done.”
Dr. Edward F. Izbicki Business Administrator and the district’s board had to decide what cameras and VMS they wanted to install. They ultimately chose Sony cameras and the Salient System VMS. “Both companies came to us with a demonstration,” Koptyra said. “The Sony cameras are very good for our needs, and the Salient System VMS offered us economical features and support with the system.”
Garfield staff put a lot of confidence in its integrator, Kratos Public Safety & Security Solutions, Inc. Kratos staff member, Desmond Battiste, technical accounts manager, in the New Jersey office, worked with the school to bring about the best installation and the finest equipment. Battiste said the schools weren't happy with its previous VMS system and selected Salient’s system for its ease-of-use and streamlined operating features. Koptrya pointed out that with the selection of the Salient Systems’ soft- ware, the district would be able to connect all schools in the district through one platform, bringing all the cameras and video together.
For more information, visit www.salientsys.com
