Global firm brings security surveillance business to Chattanooga

Enhanced camera tower oversees Riverbend Festival

Conor Aucoin, left, and Tyler McGehee walk around surveillance equipment set atop the welcome barge at the Southern Belle at the outset of the Riverbend Festival on Friday morning.
Conor Aucoin, left, and Tyler McGehee walk around surveillance equipment set atop the welcome barge at the Southern Belle at the outset of the Riverbend Festival on Friday morning.
photo Looking more like a planetary landing module, Conor Aucoin, left, and Tyler McGehee walk around surveillance equipment set atop the Pier 2 embarking point for the Southern Belle amidst the upcoming Riverbend Festival grounds.

Company at a glance

Name: Security Centres InternationalHeadquarters: Caymon IslandsStaff: About 700 employees at offices in the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the United States.Local Staff: Tyler McGehee and Conor AucoinWeb site: securitycentresusa.com.

Riverbend festivalgoers will notice changes to security measures this year on the ground, but what will be much less apparent is a security tower standing atop the fourth deck of the Southern Belle riverboard about 300 feet from the main stage.

The Optoguard Ultra CCTV Tower is the first of its kind in the United States and from Security Centres International, a new security firm in Chattanooga that is allowing Hamilton County emergency personnel to use the enhanced camera tower in a test run for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. If successful, the collapsible, 26-foot-tall mobile tower - that took about 45 minutes to assemble on the barge's top deck - could be used at public events around the country.

The tower doesn't include more intrusive security features, such as facial recognition, but it can detect an unlimited amount of subjects at a time, letting emergency personnel watching the feed remotely know if they should be concerned about any people or unattended objects at the festival or along the riverfront.

"We are not bringing anything that isn't already there to the scene," said Tyler McGehee, chief of operations for Security Centres International. "We are just bringing a product that is more capable and versatile and able to scan a wider area.

While festival organizers set up tents and food stands Friday afternoon, the camera on the solar-powered tower scanned the festival area and water where boats in the Tennessee River would float up to listen to Hank Williams Jr. later that night. With the ability to zoom up to a half mile, the CCTV Tower can even make out the small bolts on top of the Tennessee Aquarium's roof or the siding of a home across the river.

Originally built for construction sites in Scotland, near the North Sea, the tower can withstand up to 120-mph sustained winds and a Category 2 hurricane, McGehee said. It only takes about 14.4 volts to run the entire structure, and although it's self powered, it can also be plugged into a direct power source. It includes night vision technology, two-way voice capabilities and emergency personnel will be able to operate and watch a live feed remotely.

Chattanooga Police Lt. Austin Garrett oversees operations at Riverbend each year, and he said the tower is just another piece of electronic equipment they have meshed into festival operations. The city of Chattanooga already installed updated cameras along the riverfront and in the festival area a few years ago, but they don't have as many capabilities.

"It gives you two different aspects - proactive and responsive," Garrett said about the CCTV tower. "It's watching things as they might be developing but also gives us intelligence for reaction if something is going on to help with the best response."

Security Centres International's U.S. office is in Chattanooga, but the 700-person company has offices all over the world, including the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Bermuda and the Bahamas. McGehee, whose background is in law enforcement and aviation, and Conor Aucoin, who was a marine infantry platoon leader in Afghanistan, oversee the Chattanooga office.

McGehee said Chattanooga had a lot of opportunity and incentives for a new business and it was the optimal location being close to several large metro areas in the Southeast. The firm has been open for a year in the area.

"Chattanooga has the right mix of progressive tech companies coming in which are utilizing new products," he said. "There's also the right amount of state and local agencies willing to help advance our efforts."

McGehee and Aucoin said Southern Belle owner Joe Reinert has been accommodating to all their requests.

"It's great how nice and generous they've been for us being outsiders," said Aucoin. "They didn't have to do this at all."

Contact staff writer Allison Shirk at ashirk@timesfreepress.com, @Allison_Shirk or 423-757-6651.

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