Posted on 02/11/2008 5:33:38 PM PST by kellynla
D.C. police are now watching live images from dozens of surveillance cameras posted in high-crime parts of the city, hoping to respond faster to shootings, robberies and other offenses and catch suspects before they get away.
Since August 2006, the city has installed 73 cameras across the city, mostly on utility poles, at a cost of about $4 million. But until recently, officers were using them mainly as an investigative tool -- checking the recordings after crimes were committed in hopes of turning up leads and evidence.
Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said she thought the department wasn't making the most of the technology and was missing opportunities to more quickly solve crimes -- or even stop them in progress. "I thought, 'Why the heck aren't we watching them?' " Lanier said.
And so, for about 40 hours a week, a small team of officers in the department's Joint Operations Command Center watches the live feeds from 10 to 15 of the cameras. They choose locations based on the latest crime trends -- focusing, for example, on areas in Southeast Washington beset by gun violence.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Too late for Fort Marcy Park.....and Vince.
It would be nice to know the truth about Vince Foster.
Also, has anyone ever found out about what happened to Ron Brown?
Hows about actually putting them on patrol?
oh for the love of god no that would be much worse.
It won’t work. No person of normal intelligence can handle monitoring multiple surveillance camera monitors.
Oddly enough, the smarter of the clinical morons, people with an IQ around 70 are about the only people capable of doing such jobs for an extended period. But they are in high demand for other jobs that demand such unbroken concentration, and are paid premium wages for it.
A person of normal intelligence will be able to do that job for a while, but then will lose interest and do other things.
My ex-boss!
Recently, I've done some part-time work running robotic camaras, video taping government meetings Plannning Commissions, City Councils, State Fish & Game, etc.
We usually run four, at one time, though I'm only able to steer one camara, at a time, or course. But I do have to watch 6 monitors...and quickly frame a shot, of whoever is speaking.
Yeah, if the camaras were static, and we we not streaming a live (television) cable feed [don't mess up, heheh] then it would get boring. Not everyone can do this sort of work...it's more difficult than it may sound. But I'd bet there are plenty of freepers who would shine doing it, if they could keep from mumbling under their breath at the sillyness of some of what goes on...
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