You Tell Us: Do Cameras Make You Feel Safe?
Patch gives readers the chance to talk about the controversial topics impacting our city.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the city is creating a database that will help police quickly identify private and public security cameras near crime scenes.
The implementation of the database, which is being paid for in part by an Abell Foundation Grant, will enhance the city’s already existing CitiWatch network.
"The CitiWatch Community Partnership will allow more businesses and residents to support the police department’s efforts to further reduce crime in our neighborhoods," Rawlings-Blake said in a news release.
The database will allow businesses with surveillance systems to register them with the police through a web application. Police and CitiWatch officials will then be able to locate all registered systems near a particular crime scene, according to the news release.
According to the administration, there are 583 cameras citywide and 100 of them were added since Rawlings-Blake became mayor, which have resulted in more than 1,236 arrests, 145 of them for violent crimes.
Do cameras make you feel safer? Tell us the comments.
ralahinn1
12:44 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
No
k harris
4:21 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
no
Sean Tully
4:28 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I don't feel particularly unsafe under normal circumstances, but if I am in a rough part of town, knowing cameras are around does not make me feel any safer. But, having said that, I do believe that cameras are contributing to a lowering of crime.
Brandon
7:05 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
no, they make me feel spied on.
baltochick
8:21 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
Nope. Watched yes, but not safer. And I don't believe they're an actual deterrent. Sure the crime on the corner one is pointed at "stops"....and then moves down the block. Plastering so called "unsafe" neighborhoods (read lower income) with cameras is demoralizing.
Christian
8:22 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
I think that this is a "feel good" measure with little benefits to the community in that more police added to the force would be a better resolution of the crime problems in this city. Who is going to monitor all these cameras? In our community we had these cameras placed on Greenmount Avenue and most were inoperable and we found out that no one was monitoring them. Creating a data base that does not function properly is another colossal waste of money and does not guarantee any success in the elimination of crime. However old fashioned policing in the streets of Baltimore, with the police actually walking their beat will make it a safer city. The police will get to know the community and the community will get to know the police and in time they will both cooperate with each other. This data base is just another level to be administered and one that could fail where police walking in the streets of the city is a way to get to know the neighborhood and respects the privacy of our residents.
baltochick
8:39 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
Excellent points Christian!
I remember beat cops from back in the day and not only did we know our neighborhood cop by name he knew all of us too. And you better believe if one of us kids got up to no good Officer John would call us out by name and make sure our parents knew. We respected him and he respected us.
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