Have you ever lived a day with a spy camera to capture your every move? Yes! Surveillance cameras are soon to be installed in your neighborhood. Does it sound intimidating? Of course this is for good reason. With criminals trying to get every chance at their victims, something unique has to be done.
Mayor Gabriel J. Campana of Williamsport City, Pennsylvania is up against the previously approved resolution by City Council specifying the surveillance areas. He said he will do what he can so that the city can be more aggressive against crime. City officials are busy working for a wider area of coverage other than parks and other public utilities. With the resolution, the cameras shall be installed in places such as Memorial, Elm, Brandon, Youngs Woods, Newberry and Shaw Place. These areas were identified by police. Other areas are expected to be included if agreements could be reached.
The Mayor hopes that cameras would also be installed in those places that are considered high crime areas. The budget could be used well if these facilities are spread over a larger area. Diverging opinions were aired for and against the idea. Some contend that by increasing the area of coverage, effectiveness is diminished. This is because the same number of cameras will be distributed over a wide area. Concentrating over a smaller area would mean thicker coverage.
Campana assured his constituents that he would continue to work for additional budget for the cameras. At present, the federal budget comes from a U.S. Department of Budget grant amounting to $450,000. This is part of the Department’s COPS Technology program. The project is now ready for bidding. Once the lowest responsible bidder that meet the technology specifications would qualify, it would start rolling.
Police Chief Gregory Foresman said the installation of these cameras would be the same as police visibility. Maybe the only difference would be these machines could capture moments on film. A bonus would be these machines could “see” 360 degrees at once. According to specifications, these cameras should have the capability to pan, zoom, and tilt.
Image courtesy of: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=151
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