The Charleston City Council voted earlier this week to provide funds to and allow the city’s police department to install over $300,000 worth of video surveillance equipment by the end of the year.
The system will operate on an encrypted wireless network set up by the Aviro Group based in Maryland.
The police department and local watch groups have been building support for the cameras for some time, and paid special attention to protecting citizen’s privacy. “We made sure cameras won’t be pointed into people’s houses or back yards,” said Arthur Lawrence, president of a local neighborhood organization.
Eventually, live streams from the cameras could be available in police cruisers, helping officers react and respond appropriately to major disturbances – even terrorist attacks.
“I can tell you one thing for sure: The criminals would prefer that we didn’t have these cameras,” said the Mayor of Charleston.
Fri, Aug 21, 2009
Video Surveillance