Fighting Crime From Above?

Wilmington Police Department Capt. Marshall Williamson has done his homework. He's installing cameras (albeit at a very costly price – ~25,000 each) which includes video analytics to monitor Wilmington's downtown area.

“We wanted an investigative tool that would help us for the long term,” Williamson said. The system could expand, officials said, if police or other agencies receive funding for new cameras.

Hardware for the system, which includes about a dozen cameras, has already been installed in the downtown business district – an area where festivals sometimes draw thousands and where police often respond to fights after bars close.

The cameras WPD purchased can pan, tilt and zoom, Phelps said. Also, the system’s software allows cameras to alert police when a crowd gathers or a person falls, he said.

Similarly, if police have numerous car break-ins in one area, they can program a camera to alert when someone lingers too long in a parking lot.

WPD Capt. Marshall Williamson said police won’t monitor the cameras full-time, but will use them to investigate crimes after they occur, and during large events.

While Wilmington has not spent a tremendous amount of money, they are realistic with their expectations which are:

• They want video images of street fights
• They want to reduce parking lot vehicle crime (good idea)
• They want to know if a large crowd forms
• They want to know if someone falls.

As an alternative, the city could have also just pass an ordinance like the City of El Cerrito California which requires cameras to be installed in many different types of businesses. There are many benefits to this model which include:

• Cameras with a "higher focus" – They can be installed both inside and outside the establishments
• Cameras are paid for and maintained by the private sector and not supported by tax dollars
• Cameras and related equipment do not require costly publicly funded maintenance agreements or any additional need for full time city employees to maintain or watch these cameras

Wilmington should modify their crime reporting system to collect data on the effectiveness of their implementation so that they can report on overall effectiveness within the city which contrasts their cameras to that of the private sector.  I have outlined a set of recommendations for each town, city and state to modify their reporting standards so that when the data are collected, everyone can easily understand just how effective all surveillance systems actually are.