Thursday, May 31, 2018

KEYE Story On Camera Database



Interview with Courtney Schoenemann on @CBSAustin about Williamson County's Community Camera database.  

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office is the latest agency asking its residents to register their surveillance cameras with them.


Sheriff Robert Chody launched the program Thursday. He said it will save deputies time when they're investigating a crime because they'll have a list of addresses with cameras.
The Williamson County Sheriff's Office is the latest agency asking its residents to register their surveillance cameras with them.

Sheriff Robert Chody launched the program Thursday. He said it will save deputies time when they're investigating a crime because they'll have a list of addresses with cameras.

"Because right now we have detectives and patrol officers who will literally drive the street looking at cameras, and they can be in lots of different places," Chody said.

To register, you go to the county website and fill out an online form with your name, address and where your cameras are located.

When a crime happens in a specific area, deputies will ask the county IT team for a list of homes with cameras in that area.

"We will then go to those residences or businesses and ask the owners if we can have video evidence and look at their video system and determine if anything was caught during the time of the crime," Chody said.

Pflugerville resident Anthony Nguyen registered his cameras with the Pflugerville Police Digital Neighborhood Watch Program. "I think it's a great way of using technology to solve crime to deter crime," Nguyen said.

PPD started its digital neighborhood watch program earlier this year. According to the department, 215 homeowners have registered their cameras with the city. "It just helps them have more eyes and ears in the neighborhood and makes the community a safe and better place to live in," Nguyen said.

Chody announced the launch of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office Video Surveillance Camera Registration Program on Twitter Thursday.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Tour of Pflugerville Public Works Water Treatment Plant



My city had an open house of our Pflugerville Public Works Water Treatment Plant.  I was mainly interested in how they clean our sewer water.  

It looks like a classic system.  It was designed and built in 1986.  It has a inorganic, trash separation station.  An aeration phase that pumps air into the water to activate the bacteria to eat the organic compounds. A clarifier phase to separate the heavy matter.  

A chlorine phase to disinfect the water, before send to the creek.  The slug that is removed in the clarifier is mixed with wood chips to create compost and is free to any city resident for pickup.