How Cooke School Went From Glitchy Cameras to Real-Time Alerts and Clear Footage

A Glitchy Camera System Leadership Couldn’t Trust

The Cooke School and Institute, in East Harlem, New York, serves children and adults with special needs, with comprehensive educational programs that run from K-12 through adult transition. Paul Fisher, Director of Technology, oversees the school’s network infrastructure, classroom hardware, and security systems.

The security part of that job had become a problem. The existing camera system was unreliable and limited, and its shortcomings had reached the school’s leadership. “We realized our camera systems were kind of glitchy, and our head of schools and other leaders were concerned about the functionality,” Fisher noted.

Any replacement had to clear a practical bar: integrate seamlessly with the school’s current setup, without significant new investment and without extensive retraining of staff.

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AI and Real-Time Alerts on the Cameras They Already Owned

After thorough research and a look at various options, Fisher and his team implemented Coram AI’s video-based system. It fit the constraints exactly: it worked with the school’s existing cameras, stayed within bandwidth limitations, and added real-time alerts, remote access, and AI-driven threat detection without a complete overhaul.

Coram stood out for a few specific reasons:

• Integration with existing systems: Coram works with the school’s current cameras and stays within its bandwidth limits, so no complete overhaul was needed
• Real-time alerts and remote access: Alerts plus access from mobile devices, a significant advantage for monitoring multiple locations
• AI-driven capabilities: Detection of potential threats adds a crucial layer of security
• Clarity and added functionality: Sharper video and capabilities the existing cameras never had before
• Support staffed by engineers: Issues are resolved quickly, and anything deeper than a surface-level problem is investigated and solved by an engineer

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Two Break-Ins, Clear Footage, and a Team That Became Fans

The results were almost immediate. Shortly after installation, the school experienced two break-ins. With Coram, the team quickly identified the entry points, monitored the intruders’ movements within the building, and provided clear footage to the police. Real-time alerts and remote access were the capabilities staff valued most — enough, Fisher said, to make them fans of Coram AI.

What Cooke School Is Doing with Coram

• Responding to incidents in real time: Alerts and remote access from mobile devices let staff monitor and respond as events unfold.
• Investigating with clear video: Entry points and movement through the building are easy to establish, and the footage is clear enough to hand to police.
• Freeing up the IT team: Ease of use and clean integration mean Fisher’s team focuses on other critical tasks instead of constant maintenance or updates.
• Getting answers from engineers: When an issue comes up, engineering-staffed support resolves it quickly rather than stopping at the surface.

For the Cooke School and Institute, Coram turned a camera system leadership worried about into one the school relies on. Fisher recommends Coram AI for its ease of use, robust features, and excellent support — in his view, an ideal choice for schools looking to upgrade their security systems.