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By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer
April 24 -- Nearly six months after police cameras
were mounted at prime tourist destinations, authorities are
seeing their first images from the $1.3 million system.
Designed to capture potential terrorists, the lenses are
also being focused to prosecute alleged lawbreakers, according
to police.
Comprised of stationary cameras perched above the popular
Third Street Promenade and the century-old Santa Monica Pier,
the new system is providing a recorded catalog of criminal
activity that is proving useful for prosecuting attorneys,
police said.
"I can tell you that video has been used as evidence
in some cases," said Eric Uller, the lead Public Safety
Systems Analyst overseeing the system.
Housed in dark bubbled spheres on light poles perched above
the street, the system keeps daily watch against any number
of crimes, police said.
Police declined to specify the nature of the crimes, because
the cases are on-going. But they suggest everything from graffiti
and theft to assault and other violent incidents could be
prosecuted to keep safe the destinations strolled by millions
a year.
"What I can say is that whenever we witness a crime,
we do take action on it," said Lt. Alex Padilla, the
Police Department spokesperson.
They are also used anytime any person exhibits unusual behavior,
including the scores of homeless -- some of whom suffer from
mental illness -- who panhandle for change on Third Street's
popular outdoor retail mall.
"If someone is acting erratically, then we will send
someone to investigate what is going on," said Padilla.
While used as evidence, neither Padilla nor Uller said they
know of any arrests made or fines issued as a result of surveillance.
"I don't know of any instances," Uller said.
However, Uller said he has not researched those statistics.
The Lookout asked for a review of the arrest and citation
records last week, but police did not return the request for
information by the time of publication.
Harder to track, however, is the number of crimes possibly
averted, said Padilla, although police said they believe the
cameras do stop some crimes from occurring.
"We can't say for sure how many crimes they may have
prevented," said Padilla. "Just the mere presence
of the cameras acts as a deterrent."
Approved by the City Council last February and paid for by
the City after former Police Chief James T. Butts warned the
locations could be unguarded "soft" targets, the
system was primarily installed to prevent terrorism.
Three men of middle-eastern descent were observed filming
the Santa Monica Pier in the summer of 2005, according to
police officials. While questioned, the men were not charged
with a crime by the FBI or local authorities.
The event, though, prompted Butts-- who now helps oversee
airport security for millions of travelers at four regional
airports, including LAX -- and the City to move forward with
funding the video system, joining a nationwide trend for preventative
surveillance systems.
While the new Chief of Police, Tim Jackman, has reviewed
the system since he took command in December, no substantial
changes were made, Padilla said.
Police also said they have no plans to add onto the system
in the future.
While some have raised concerns about privacy, police say
the cameras are in a public zone, where signs are posted alerting
the public that they are being monitored.
Although still able to view a wide area, the cameras cannot
be moved or provide a close-up of individuals, police said.
"One of the big concerns for safety was if the camera's
can pan, tilt or zoom and none of them can do that. They are
all fixed-based camera's," said Uller. "Whatever
they are looking at is what they are looking at and they can't
change that."
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