We encourage Charleston officials to press forward with previously stated plans to establish a network of video surveillance cameras for monitoring various points around the city.
Thoughtfully placed municipal security cameras offering real-time surveillance could help to deter crime. At the very least, the visual aids likely would assist law enforcement in identifying and apprehending some of those people who do break the law.
The use of video cameras has been discussed by both city officials and the general public for more than a year, including at a number of meetings of the Charleston Neighborhood Watch organization. The general consensus by all parties is that cameras would be an asset.
Already-awarded federal grant monies, applied for by city officials, would pay for a dozen or more cameras. The Charleston Rotary Club has offered to provide funding for the purchase of an additional one-dozen cameras, with a stipulation that the club would have some input into the process of determining where cameras will be placed.
That seems a reasonable request, especially considering Rotarians would be chipping in about $10,000 toward the cost of the project.
An increasing number of municipalities are adopting the use of video surveillance technology as a crime deterrent.
In Carroll County, one official told the local newspaper there that in addition to curbing possible criminal activity, including drug trafficking, the cameras could be beneficial in helping to track missing children and adults, especially the elderly and others with medical conditions that sometimes cause them to roam.
In Clarksdale, the mayor said cameras have cut down on loitering, a situation which can lead to fights and other criminal activity.
We realize there are issues to settle, including working out the logistics of providing live monitoring of the cameras, training for those who monitor live feeds, etc. These are not small matters, but they can be addressed.
Cameras don’t stop all crime, but they do help to discourage it. Ultimately, that could save property and, even more, perhaps a life.
