NCJ Number
216331
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 33 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 102-104,106,108
Date Published
October 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
After explaining how surveillance cameras installed by private businesses in Philadelphia, PA, have already helped in identifying suspects who committed crimes caught on these cameras, this article describes Philadelphia's pilot program for installing public surveillance cameras.
Abstract
In May 2006, the city voted in a referendum to amend Philadelphia's Home Charter to permit the installation of public surveillance cameras. In a pilot program, the first surveillance camera has been installed at a major intersection. The police department has installed signs that announce the area is under video surveillance; and policies and procedures ensure that cameras do not record any activity above street level. The pan-tilt-zoom cameras are at street level in placements that prevent them from viewing any activity on the second floor and above. Although the American Civil Liberties Union has reservations about the applications of the cameras, there is little opposition to the program. The intent of the cameras is to deter crime in areas under surveillance and to aid police response, since they are linked to police dispatch. When dispatchers receive a call that pertains to the area under surveillance, they can contact personnel who are monitoring the cameras to determine what the cameras are showing about the reported incident. Thus, even before an officer has been dispatched, there can be confirmation of an incident, which helps the dispatchers in directing patrol cars to the right location. The city has assigned both uniformed personnel and civilians to monitor the cameras in police headquarters. They may observe an incident that requires a police response before dispatchers receive a call. They can directly dispatch a car to the scene and update the officer as he/she is enroute to the scene. The videos also have evidentiary value.