The County of San Luis Obispo experienced repeated vandalism at two flood gates and needed a remote surveillance solution with no access to power or networks. Supercircuits designed a custom solar-powered system with a weatherproof enclosure, battery, camera, and DVR. The standalone system has proven reliable with high-quality video evidence that has helped prosecute vandals and reduce liability for the county.

1. San Luis Obispo Tackles
Vandalism with Solar-powered
Surveillance Solution
SLO County deploys custom surveillance solution to protect
county flood gates and reduce liability
The Situation
San Luis Obispo (SLO) County had experienced multiple incidences of
vandalism at two flood control gates located along the Arroyo Grande
Creek levees in Oceano, California. Vandals placed large rocks to block
the flap gates and prevent the gates from closing, broke off the lift reels,
and physically forced the flap gates to open when they were designated to
remain closed—resulting in a number of liability lawsuits against the county.
The County of San Luis Obispo Public Works Department was determined
to protect the flood control gates, prevent further liability, and of course,
catch those responsible for these acts. To accomplish this, the county
began their search for a surveillance solution that could effectively monitor
the flood control gates at Arroyo Grande Creek levees and provide high
quality video evidence to prosecute vandals.
But this was no simple task. Because the flood control gates were located
in isolated area with no access to AC power or hard lined phones, the
county needed a security solution that could also provide outside power
and work as a standalone unit.
Kim Hubbs, Civil Engineering Tech III, County of San Luis Obispo, Public
Works Department was responsible for identifying a solution. After an
extensive online search, and several phone discussions with prospective
vendors, Kim found that Supercircuits was one of few vendors with both
the equipment and experience to deliver an effective solution within the
county’s timeframe and budget.
Supercircuits
11000 N. MoPac Expressway
Building 300
Austin, Texas 78759
TOLL FREE: 877.995.2288
case study
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The Challenge
San Luis Obispo County had a problem with
vandalism at two flood control flap gates
located in a remote area in Oceano, CA.
Objectives
Create and install a custom, powered and
reliable security solution to gain monitoring
capabilities at remotely-located flood control
gates at the Arroyo Grande Creek levees.
Record incidences of vandalism at the flood
control gates and produce high quality video
to provide evidence and prosecute vandals.
Reduce the county’s liability from flood gates
not functioning properly due to vandalism
The Solution
Custom solution with solar panel, NEMA
enclosure, BLACK 600 TVL 150 Ft IR
Outdoor Bullet Security Camera and Single-channel
Mobile DVR.
Customer Name:
County of San Luis Obispo—Public Works
Department
Location:
San Luis Obispo, CA
Vertical Market:
Government
Products:
BLACK 600 TVL 150 FT IR Outdoor Bullet
Security Camera, Single Channel Mobile
DVR.
About:
The County of San Luis Obispo, Public
Works Department is charged with
maintaining the county’s street system, traffic
flow, county buildings, parks, landscapes
and trees. The Public Works Department
administers and oversees private
construction activities which take place in
the public right-of-way. The department is
charged with implementing the county’s
Capital Improvement Program (CIP),
including the design and construction of new
parks, buildings, streets, water and sewer
lines, etc. The department also provides
internal services to other county employees
by maintaining all government buildings and
the extensive fleet of vehicles.
© Copyright 2013 Supercircuits, Inc
www.supercircuits.com Trusted Video Security Solutions since 1989

2. San Luis Obispo Tackles Vandalism with
Solar-powered Surveillance Solution
The Solution
In discussions with Supercircuits, Hubbs outlined the critical
needs of his desired solution, including a standalone system, an
independent power source, and both infrared and vandal-proof video
security cameras. Additionally, an effective system had to withstand
a variety of weather conditions, and offer protection from vandals.
With this guidance, the Supercircuits engineering team designed a
custom solution that met Hubbs’ requirements and remained well
within the county’s budget.
At the cover of the solution, Supercircuits incorporated a ruggedized
mobile DVR, engineered for stability under extreme conditions. The
single-channel recording device featured 704 x 576 video resolution,
MPEG-4 video format for easy viewing, convenient on-board video
storage, and simple video offload capabilities onto a 32GB SD card.
Next, the Supercircuits team
selected an outdoor bullet
camera from the company’s
BLACK line of high-performance
analog security cameras. The
camera featured 600 lines of
resolution, a vari-focal lens, and
a built-in IR array to see up to
150 feet in complete darkness—a
requirement for the operation.
The camera also featured an IP67 weather rating and was equipped
with image enhancing capabilities, including wide dynamic range
(WDR) and digital noise reduction (DNR)—to produce crisp, clear
images under a variety of lighting conditions.
Finally, Supercircuits integrated
a solar power device to power
both the camera and mobile
DVR. The camera and solar
panel were affixed to a rugged,
weatherproof NEMA enclosure—
which housed the battery,
cables, and DVR—providing
protection from both the vandals and the various environmental
and weather conditions present.
Results and Benefits
The results speak for themselves. The self-contained, solar-powered
solution has proven dependable, and requires little to no
“All I can say to Supercircuits is:
Job well done!”
-Kim Hubbs, San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department
acts as a deterrent, as vandals now understand that they are under
surveillance and at risk of being prosecuted for their actions.
“In a short time period, Supercircuits was able to construct a camera
security system that allows us to effectively monitor the location,
improve safety, prosecute vandals, and reduce the county’s liability
at the flood control gates,” said Hubbs. “All I can say to Supercircuits
is—Job well done!”
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Solar power devices to power both the camera and mobile DVR, which
were affixed to a rugged, weatherproof NEMA enclosure—which housed
the battery, cables, and DVR—providing protection from both the
vandals and the various environmental and weather conditions present
Supercircuits
11000 N. MoPac Expressway
Building 300
Austin, Texas 78759
TOLL FREE: 877.995.2288
maintenance or management
by the county. In the event
of incident, the county has
been able to quickly respond,
and pursue the criminals
responsible—with high-quality
video evidence that stands up
in court.
And like many security
systems, the solution now
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© Copyright 2013 Supercircuits, Inc www.supercircuits.com Trusted Video Security Solutions since 1989