By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Chicago-based Motorola Solutions deployed an interconnected AI-driven security system at a new high-security penitentiary in Santa Fe, Argentina, connecting video analytics, body cameras, biometric sensors and smart scanners into a single platform, the company announced Tuesday.
The 50,000-square-meter Penitentiary Unit No. 9 in Recreo was built to address a growing crisis in the province’s correctional infrastructure, where rising crime rates had overwhelmed existing facilities and pushed detainees into local police stations, according to a Motorola Solutions news feature.
The deployment has contributed to an 80 percent reduction in cell occupancy at police stations, the company reported. The facility securely manages up to 890 inmates and protects 450 penitentiary staff members with continuous AI video monitoring. More than 200 operators have been trained in the system’s advanced analytics, according to the release.
Motorola Solutions served as the primary technology provider and integrator, deploying its Avigilon Unity Video 8 on-premise security system, the release said. The platform centralizes the management of data from body cameras, radios and AI-driven video analytics to automate the flow of intelligence between security teams and provincial command centers.
“This deployment completely redefines how video security is used in the penitentiary system,” Luciano Campolonghi, territory director for the south of Latin America at Motorola Solutions, said in the release. “Previously, officers had to watch multiple screens to spot potential risks. Now, video analytics continuously scan for anything unusual, providing awareness for security teams and the Penitentiary Police to inform faster response.”
The system’s AI distinguishes between staff, inmates, vehicles and non-threatening movements, reducing false alarms, according to the company. High-resolution fixed cameras and body cameras enhanced with artificial intelligence monitor perimeters and internal cellblocks.
The system automatically alerts security teams to potential threats such as perimeter intrusions or contraband drop attempts, the release said. Third-party AI-powered X-ray scanning technology at access points helps intercept drugs, weapons, cell phones and electronic devices before they enter the secure perimeter.
Lucia Masneri, secretary of correctional affairs for the Province of Santa Fe, called the facility “a high-security prison and ranks among the most modern in the country due to its building infrastructure and the security technology implemented,” in a statement included in the release.
The project was developed under the leadership of Governor Maximiliano Pullaro, who recognized that adding physical cells alone would not solve the province’s overcrowding crisis, according to the release. Legacy facilities, many built decades ago, lacked the structural controls and technology required for modern high-risk security management.
Motorola Solutions, headquartered in Chicago’s West Loop, provides communications and security technology to public safety agencies and enterprises worldwide. The company has expanded its international portfolio in recent months, with a separate deployment equipping the Austrian Ministry of Justice with body cameras for prison staff, according to the company’s newsroom.
The Argentina deployment showcases the company’s growing role in correctional facility modernization globally.
