Customer Story: James Fuller, Director of IT Services, City of Calera
Challenge:
A need for smart surveillance in areas with no infrastructure and a portable, temporary solution for certain city locations.
Solution:
Deploy the Gridless system to avoid trenching costs and complexities, while also mobilizing a trailer for evolving areas that need coverage.
Protecting the Community and Preserving Traditions
Security in a small town is about more than protection – it’s about preserving the sense of community that makes it feel like home. When security solutions are in place, the focus stays on what really matters: Friday night football games, holiday parades, and everyday moments that make small-town life special.
Calera, Alabama, with a population of about 18,000, is proud of its close-knit community, beautiful parks, and beloved football stadium. James Fuller, who has held several key roles since joining the city in 2005, now serves as the Director of IT Services. He plays a crucial role in maintaining that community spirit by ensuring that the city’s technology and security solutions evolve with its needs. James takes a proactive approach, focusing not just on solving today’s challenges but on preparing Calera for the future.
Calera Struggled with Park Security – Costly Infrastructure Stood in the Way
For years, Calera’s parks and other public spaces lacked the infrastructure necessary for reliable surveillance systems. Vandalism and vehicle break-ins were persistent problems, but installing security cameras was easier said than done. The areas needed connectivity to ensure footage could be transmitted to the cloud, making an off-grid security solution essential for reliable monitoring. Traditional trenching and wiring would have been expensive and disruptive, but doing nothing wasn’t an option. The city needed a wireless connectivity solution that could provide reliable surveillance without costly infrastructure.
Additionally, the city needed a portable security solution that could provide a surveillance system at temporary locations, such as the bustling Calera Eagles football games at the Oliver Park Sports Complex – a 58-acre park featuring playgrounds, a nature trail, walking track, and pavilions for family gatherings and community events. The security solution had to be easy to relocate to other areas around the park and city as needed, making fixed infrastructure impractical.
How Gridless Delivered Reliable, Off-Grid Security – No Trenching Needed
Gridless offered a flexible security solution that perfectly met Calera’s needs. The Gridless Sentry provided off-grid security capabilities, allowing the city to bypass the high costs and complexities of trenching and hardwiring by tapping into their existing light poles. The compact, rugged Sentry case houses all the components needed to provide power and connectivity for seamless transmission of cloud-connected security camera footage, ensuring reliable surveillance without the need for costly infrastructure. Its built-in battery backup ensures cameras stay operational around the clock, even during outages.
For temporary needs, the solar-powered Sentry Trailer was the perfect answer. Security trailers act as highly visible deterrents, signaling a monitored and protected area, which discourages criminal activity before it happens. The city deployed it at the fire station construction site, an area previously prone to equipment tampering. “I’d rather deter somebody than catch somebody. I’d rather the crime not happen at all,” explained James. Since its deployment, there haven’t been any issues at the site. The Sentry trailer also delivered significant cost savings to Calera, with a break-even projection of just over a year, compared to the exorbitant, ongoing monthly rental fees.
“The best tech support is the kind you never have to call. We have has zero problems – no issues at all.”
-James Fuller
Why Go Gridless?
One of the standout advantages of Gridless is its compatibility with virtually any major security camera manufacturer or VMS platform. Unlike other security solutions that lock users into proprietary ecosystems, Gridless works seamlessly with existing infrastructure. For Calera, that meant full integration with their in-place cameras, allowing James to manage everything through their existing VMS without needing to switch or manage multiple platforms.
The Future of Public Safety and Security in Calera
The City of Calera is just getting started. Plans are underway to install solar-powered traffic surveillance cameras on existing poles, utilizing Gridless Sentry’s off-grid security capabilities for a reliable and cost-effective solution. The city has also deployed solar-powered surveillance cameras at railroad crossings in town, using solar and cellular connectivity for a completely wireless security solution. With support from local businesses that permitted the city to install systems on their properties, security advancements at the railroad crossings became possible.
In their pursuit of those projects, they received overwhelming quotes from the local power company for renting the security infrastructure they required, leaving the team stunned by the price. Not only were the monthly expenses high, but they would have needed to purchase a physical server to store, manage, and process video footage. Gridless allowed Calera to avoid prohibitive costs and implement cloud-based cameras, eliminating the need for a physical server, with footage and management handled virtually. By choosing Gridless, Calera gained the flexibility to expand their surveillance network as needed, all while keeping costs manageable.
Thanks to James and the rest of the city’s forward-thinking leadership, Calera has adopted a security solution that integrates seamlessly with its existing infrastructure while preparing for future advancements. With a reliable, adaptable system in place, the city is setting a new standard for small-town security – protecting what matters most while keeping life simple and connected.
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We’ve already got the wheel here, we just keep rolling with it.”
-James Fuller
