University of Kentucky Healthcare System Achieves Comprehensive Security Through Modernized Surveillance

The University of Kentucky’s (UK) police department oversees the surveillance infrastructure for the school’s main campus, but their responsibilities also include an on-campus hospital and the UK HealthCare statewide healthcare network, significantly expanding the scope and complexity of security operations.

“There are many differences when you look at policing on a college campus as well as healthcare institutions,” said Joesph Monroe, Chief of Police, University of Kentucky. “The University of Kentucky police are responsible for both.”

To address these demands, the University of Kentucky completed a large-scale modernization of its surveillance infrastructure, transitioning to a unified camera ecosystem built around Hanwha Vision technologies.

From Fragmentation to Centralized Visibility

Prior to the upgrade, the University’s surveillance environment consisted of more than 60 independent systems, many of them analog and deployed at a departmental level. This structure created blind spots, hindered coordination, and made investigations time-consuming, as security personnel were forced to navigate multiple platforms to reconstruct incidents – challenging for any surveillance team, but even more complex given the unique dynamics of a hospital environment.

“It’s important to have real time information to be able to get awareness of what’s going on,” said Nathan Brown, Deputy Chief of Police of Administration, University of Kentucky. “Now we can provide our first responders with information so they can most safely respond, especially in places like our ERs, where things can get volatile very quickly at times.”

“But with that, you have to think about privacy, HIPAA requirements,” Monroe added. “There may be a time that you have to mask or blur out somebody’s video.”

The UK deployment includes advanced multi-sensor cameras, 8K and 4K ultra-high-resolution models, and edge-based analytics that enable data capture directly at the camera level.

“We’re developing a roadmap to make sure that every building has a 100% security perimeter camera coverage,” said Brown. “The first line of defense is making sure that you know who is coming into your facilities.”

This consolidated approach has significantly improved incident response workflows. Operators can now access live and recorded video immediately, enabling rapid verification of reported threats and supporting a more informed deployment of resources.

A major advantage of the new system lies in its use of multi-sensor cameras to replace traditional single-lens deployments. A single multi-sensor unit now delivers 360-degree visibility using one device, one cable, and one license. This approach has dramatically expanded coverage while reducing infrastructure demands, installation time, and long-term maintenance costs.

Beyond security, the University is leveraging onboard camera analytics to support operational efficiency. “One thing that we’re moving forward with on our roadmap, and with our standards, is to use those on-camera analytics a lot more for our operations,” said Stephen Cornett, Security Systems Director, University of Kentucky Police Department.

Ultimately, the modernized surveillance system reinforces the University’s commitment to public safety, demonstrating through daily operations that security remains a top institutional priority.

“Installing these cameras and the correct access control points at the right places,” Brown said, “allows us to protect our community and make sure everyone understands that we’re all in this together.»