Downtown cameras enhance security

Our Voice

By Hickory Daily Record Editorial
Published: April 24, 2009

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Installing surveillance cameras in parking lots in downtown Hickory could be a great tool to reduce crime in the area.

The Hickory City Council voted Tuesday to spend $163,525 to install the 30 new cameras in downtown. No tax dollars will be used to pay for the cameras, which is a plus. The money is coming from revenues the city generates by leasing parking spaces downtown and from parking fines.

The cameras, which should be installed within two months, will allow police to monitor public areas and record video to be used as evidence if crimes are committed. The cameras will fill gaps in coverage by police. They will also allow increased surveillance during events, such as Oktoberfest, and provide usable footage if needed for a criminal investigation.

Two shootings in downtown in 2008 — one a murder — prompted a study by the police department on how to make the downtown area safer for residents and visitors. They decided adding more surveillance cameras in the area is the best and most cost-effective alternative. And if the system proves to be a success, it is designed to expand easily.

Keeping an eye on crime is a 24/7 job, and these new cameras will certainly aid the city's police department. Police officers are, after all, limited in their ability to patrol the streets. It's not possible for police to be everywhere at all times, and the cameras will be a good way for them to see what's going on without actually being there.

Some may voice concerns about a possible invasion of privacy from the security cameras, but the security cameras will only be in public areas, so although it may feel like Big Brother is always watching you, the cameras will not be watching you in private.

As a precautionary measure, these new electronic eyes are bound to diminish criminal acts.

Surveillance cameras keeping watch could also free up officers, should they need to respond to an emergency or leave the area they are patrolling. Giving up a little privacy in a public place to make people safer makes sense.

What do you think?

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