Smart Cameras Blog

[From Are Indy's police surveillance cameras worth it? | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star ]

Indianapolis has a small camera network, I first mentioned it last year. For background, they have spent over a million dollars and are at 54 cameras with another 40 coming online this year.

The problem noted in the article is the city doesn’t keep any data on the effectiveness of the cameras. As a result, taxpayers and police don’t know if these cameras are really helping to address crime. The article notes recent studies show cameras have limited effectiveness, e.g. San Francisco. The article also states that Chicago “reported that neighborhoods with cameras operating for more than six months saw a 30 percent decrease in crime and a 60 percent drop in drug incidents.” However, Chicago, unlike San Francisco, has not made public its data or analysis for these statistics.

The lack of data will probably not hamper the growth of camera networks. Unlike many other technologies, people believe in their guts that cameras can make a difference. In the absence of data, they will probably prefer cameras. However, for the policy wonks and those that care about the long term, the lack of data will mask the true value of cameras. We won’t know if money should be spent on cameras, officers, other police technologies, or for other strategies.

rshah Chicago, Other Cities, Policy

From IndyStar.com :

Indianapolis has decided to follow other big cities in installing 27 cameras to monitor local sports stadiums, water treatment facilities and high crime areas. A $1 million federal grant is paying for the cameras, which run $14,000 for fixed cameras and $12,000 for movable cameras. The camera footage will be available at police headquarters and and in officers’ cars (no idea how many cars are wired for this).

While the public generally favors cameras for crime fighting, this is still a partisan issue. Take a look at the 123 comments generated by readers.

rshah Other Cities