City to try out security cameras

Date: 09/06/2005
Source: The Daily Item
Author: James Haynes

LYNN -- Smile, Central Square - as soon as next week, you may be on camera. In a bid to make the area more secure for commerce and residents of the growing condo and loft developments, area merchants will mount a surveillance camera on a building, the first step in what some hope will be the installation of more than two dozen cameras.

"We will install a model camera on one of the properties downtown that the security company will use as a demo," said Kevin Donahue of the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce. "We hope to show some of the other property owners what the technology looks like and show the police the capabilities in terms of monitoring."

Whether the effort will prompt privacy concerns, however, remains an open question. As Deputy Chief Kenneth Santoro acknowledged, cameras tend to be more popular among law enforcement than with those who are being watched. Some customers may wonder what sort of area they are entering if Central Square bristles with cameras.

"Privacy is an important concern, but I'm more concerned with public safety and the safety of my family than my own privacy in a public area," said Councilor-at-Large Albert DiVirgilio. Sarah Wunsch, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said the idea of private merchants videotaping public areas did not pose as many privacy concerns as government or police sponsored monitoring.

"My concerns would be less, but there are other measures people can take if they are concerned about crime," said Wunsch. "Better lighting, more police , even people meeting to talk about neighborhood watches may be more effective than cameras that just sit there."

The move is unique, with the push - and potentially the funding - for the effort coming entirely from the private sector rather than police or City Hall. Donahue said Central Square merchants have researched installing cameras for more than a year, and held preliminary discussions with Police Chief John Suslak about the initiative. The estimated cost per two-camera unit, recording to a 30-day digital video recorder, is approximately $4,000.

"We feel it will be more than just a deterrent, it will really help the police solve crimes," said Donahue.

Surveillance cameras are a common sight in many European cities, and several larger American urban areas, including Chicago and New Orleans, which have reported a reduction in crime after installing cameras. Closer to home, Boston installed a network of cameras prior to last summer's Democratic National Convention, a resource which came in handy in cracking down on Red Sox revelers last fall, and Chelsea police expect to have more than 30 cameras up and running by mid-summer.

"If they want to do it, we'll help where we can, although it's not something we have the funding for on our end," said Santoro.

DiVirgilio Jr. also sees promise in creating a network of surveillance cameras, suggesting the city should consider installing units in area parks, playgrounds and public spaces. "I would love to see 50 new officers out on the streets, but it isn't going to happen," he said. "We are always going to have to look for ways to help police fight crime with the numbers they have.I think one of the best ways to do that is to look at cameras."

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