D.C. Police Begin Watching Live Crime Cameras
WASHINGTON - Police are now watching live images from surveillance cameras posted in D.C. in hopes of responding faster to shootings, robberies and other crimes.
The city has installed 73 cameras since August 2006 at a cost of about $4 million. The cameras are in public places and are marked with the D.C. police logo.
Until recently, officers mostly checked the recordings after crimes were committed in hopes of turning up leads. But Police Chief Cathy Lanier said she thought the department was missing opportunities to more quickly solve crimes or stop them in progress.
Police will now monitor images from 10 to 15 cameras in high-crime areas for about 40 hours per week, News4's James Adams reported.
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Police hope to add 50 cameras over then next two years at a cost of $4.5 million.
The District is following cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, where police have actively monitored live camera scenes for years. Still, the initiative that began in mid-November has raised privacy concerns.
"They cost a great deal of money to install, to maintain and, especially, to monitor, if they're going to be monitored live," said Art Spitzer with the American Civil Liberties Union. "We've paid a lot of attention to thte data from other places that have used surveillance cameras, and the data shows that they're really not very effective."
Supporters said public safety outweighs privacy concerns.
"I see the crime camera as another tool in the MPD toolbox," said D.C. Council member Jim Graham. "It's not a magic wand. It's just another thing that assures the neighborhood we're serious about stopping crime."
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