This is the third post in our Black History Month series, written by Tracey Calhoun.
WHO AM I? LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF…
Hi! My name is Marie Van Brittan Brown. Does my name “RING” a bell? I am a 43 year old nurse, who works in the heart of Jamaica, Queens in New York City. My husband, an electronic technician, and I work many long, late, and unsteady hours. Oftentimes, I am left at home alone and not in the presence of my husband. I needed protection from and wanted to lessen the risk of vulnerability in my community due to the increasing crime and slow police response time. Therefore, I intervened with the first home security. My closed-circuit television (CCTV) security opened doors to safe communities and a safer society for today’s commercial businesses and residential homes.
In 1966, I created a two-way communication and surveillance system allowing me to see who was at my front door and a means to trigger an alarm to alert authorities quickly. I placed three peepholes at different levels on my front door so the sliding camera would capture the various heights of the person standing at my front door. If the person was recognizable from viewing the television monitors, then I would use my remote to safely unlock the door. Otherwise, I would communicate through my two-way microphones and/or press my emergency button, for anyone I perceived suspicious. I’m grateful that this system has provided me with a peace of mind and a sense of control in my own home!
My “Home Security Utilizing Television Surveillance” became a patent in 1966. I perfected its designs, creating the specifications, and detailing the artwork. Today, security systems have expanded to intercom and buzzer systems, DIY home security systems, retail security systems, automatic door locks, and alarm systems that notify police and EMT via a central hub such as ADT, Vivint, and SimpliSafe. One can even monitor, activate, or disarm their security system while at home or away from all electronic devices.
By 2013, my patent had been cited by over a dozen inventors for their own devices. It has also generated more prevalent CCTV surveillance in public areas. Worldwide, more than one hundred million concealed closed -circuit cameras are now in operation.
