Camera Monitor - Security

Primary Responsibilities

• The primary responsibilities of a video surveillance operator are maintaining the control center equipment.
• A monitoring system is only as good as its equipment, so one of the first things that a surveillance operator does when starting a work day is an equipment check.
• This includes verifying that all external cameras are set up and broadcasting and that all the video storage facilities -- be they videotape decks or computer servers -- are online and functioning.
• The operator must check to see that fresh videotapes are inserted into analog recording machines and that digital drive capture systems have enough free space available for the next 24 hours.

Secondary Responsibilities

• During the course of a workday, the video surveillance operator keeps a written log of any suspicious activities captured by the surveillance equipment.
• Many criminals, for example, will try and destroy any video equipment they observe before attempting their crimes so they won't be captured on video. When incidents occur, the video monitor works with local law enforcement in providing logs, videotapes or digital video files of any suspicious or criminal activity. Occasionally, the surveillance operator may be called into court to testify about any activities they observed on the system or the operational details of the recording system.