By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
In New Orleans, the city’s crime camera program has come under fire, with complaints that the cameras are netting few convictions and in some cases not working and missing crimes under their noses, making them a waste of tax dollars.
Late last month, WDSU-TV in New Orleans ran a story about the few convictions that result from the crime cameras. Here’s an excerpt:
“We are not using them to solve crimes,” said New Orleans City Councilwoman Stacy Head. The WDSU I-Team obtained recent statistics from the district attorney’s office about how many times prosecutors have used crime cameras.
On average, since Hurricane Katrina hit the area, police have made roughly 12,000 felony arrests per year. The district attorney’s office accepts anywhere between 7,000 to 8,000 of those cases on average.
In a written statement, the district attorney’s office told WDSU prosecutors have “utilized” crime camera video in three cases during the last year.
“If all we have is three prosecutions stemming from it, the only way you could explain it is disappointment,” said Rafael Goyeneche. Goyeneche heads up the Metropolitan Crime Commission.
“I think the public has an inflated expectation level of what those cameras actually mean,” said Goyeneche.
But New Orleans residents are not alone in their criticism about crime cameras. In cities across the U.S., there are similar complaints.
Earlier this year, a San Francisco Chronicle story reported that “San Francisco’s 68 controversial anti-crime cameras haven’t deterred criminals from committing assaults, sex offenses or robberies — and they’ve only moved homicides down the block, according to a new report from UC Berkeley.”
Last year, a story on officer.com ran this headline: “D.C. crime camera misses daylight shooting.”•
3 responses so far ↓
Wendy King // Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 5:27 pm |
The “inflated expectations” are thanks to the sales job Mayor Nagin and Chief Riley have done, in convincing us that these hi-tech “unassailable witnesses” could operate 24/7, with no glitches, breakdowns, or other problems. These cameras have their limitations. One is that their view from “on high” means a slightly blurry image of the crime. Who monitors these cameras, and zooms in for a closer look, or is that only done, when the camera’s film or memory card is examined by someone familiar with the camera’s operation, or is on the NOPD’s tech unit? These cameras are poor substitutes for vigilant neighbors and family members, more NOPD officers on foot patrol, and an atmosphere where young people have better education and employment opportunities, so that they and their friends don’t enter the juvenile and adult crime “business” and prison system.
Citizen Crime Watch Blog» Blog Archive » Where’s the proof that crime cameras are doing anything but lining contractor’s pockets? // Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 10:30 am |
[...] not just New Orleans that’s asking questions about the opportunity cost of crime cameras to a struggling criminal justice [...]
nolaj // Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at 5:28 pm |
Maybe if Mr Mayor would have researched the city needs, he would not have spent all of this money on technology that needs maintenance to generate whatever, even before the city was ready. Business as usual.