Securing the skies with CNC Technologies
Just four short years since its founding, aviation technology and wireless communications provider CNC Technologies has established itself as one of the preeminent players in the airborne law enforcement space. Launched with the mission of helping law enforcement and public safety agencies design, deploy and manage their airborne mission suites, the company has since built its book of business to encompass dozens of the world’s most sophisticated agencies. These agencies include the Texas Department of Public Safety, Los Angeles Police Department and Swedish national police.
CNC’s projects are as varied as its clients’ missions. Whether building a mobile video network for the Michigan State Police’s advanced drone program, implementing an airborne counterterrorism solution for the Metro Atlanta Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) or deploying airborne mission suites for the Jamaica Defense Force, CNC provides a fully hands-on approach for all aspects of every assignment. This includes not only design, acquisition and integration but also ongoing training and 24/7 support.
“The always-on aspect of our service has been a huge selling point for our partners,” said CNC founding partner Alex Giuffrida. “If something goes wrong, agencies have a single point of contact for finding a solution. It’s a huge advance from the old model where departments all too often found themselves being passed from vendor to vendor with each provider suggesting a different fix. Because we handle each system in its entirety, we’re able to streamline the service process and minimize downtime.”
Founded by Giuffrida and chief technology officer Ron Magocsi, CNC Technologies provides design, development and implementation of aerial surveillance, counterterrorism, microwave downlink and transmission solutions to meet a full complement of mission needs. The company grew out of the inefficiencies Giuffrida and Magocsi had spotted in the market. Specifically, departments were spending millions of dollars on imaging platforms, transmission systems, moving maps and other tools, but lacked a resource with the expertise to ensure these various parts could effectively work together.
The company continues to expand its capabilities to grow with the industry. To reflect the ongoing growth in aerial assets, particularly in the drone space, CNC’s latest innovation has been the launch of CNC.Live, a new defense-grade online portal for hosting, viewing and sharing real-time aerial footage and data.
Developed to enhance situational awareness and support multi-agency response during large-scale operations, CNC.Live enables commanders and staff to securely access live video from their department’s helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles on any Internet-connected device. And in situations with multiple responders all fielding their own airborne assets, CNC can create a dedicated event page, pooling all resources into a single space.
The cloud-based CNC.Live made its debut at Super Bowl LIII when it was selected by the Georgia State Patrol and Atlanta UASI-Atlanta Regional Commission to serve as the aerial law enforcement hub for the event. More recently, the Florida Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement utilized CNC.Live to centralize intelligence and coordinate response during hurricane season. CNC.Live is also utilized by the Inglewood (California) Police Department to coordinate aerial coverage of Los Angeles Rams’ games with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and partner agencies.
“With CNC.Live you’re able to share real-time intelligence from multiple sources during fast-moving situations,” said Magocsi, citing an example of SWAT teams being able to view live aerial imaging on their smartphones and tablets when responding to critical incidents. “The use cases, particularly in managing and operationalizing multiple video and data streams, are immense,” he added, noting that the company has signed up 17 customers, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, for CNC.Live in just its first year. CNC.Live will also serve as the airborne law enforcement hub during this year’s NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.
In keeping with its white-glove service ethos, CNC can remotely troubleshoot CNC.Live to keep the system running at peak efficiency. “For example, if someone calls and reports a problem, we can remotely log in to make sure that all the settings are correct,” said Magocsi.
Beyond its real-time capabilities, CNC.Live is designed to serve as a comprehensive archival resource for law enforcement and public safety agencies to securely store all of their aerial downlink assets.
Another growth area for CNC has been its CNC aviation division, which provides sales and leasing of new and used aircraft. The division also works with agencies to maximize the value of the aircraft they are selling or trading in. For example, when the Ontario (California) Police Department needed to purchase a new helicopter, CNC’s aviation division took the department’s existing Airbus AS350B2 in trade to offset the cost of the new aircraft.
Business has been brisk with CNC aviation facilitating nine aircraft transactions in just the past six months. Earlier this year, the division also became an authorized supplier of Textron Aviation aircraft.
“What the aircraft plus the technology can offer you continues to grow at a rapid pace,” said Giuffrida. “And we are right at the forefront.”
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