Published Wednesday, March 11, 2009 6:05 AM
Bryan surveillance system up and running
By MICHELLE CASADY
michelle.casady@theeagle.com
Smile, you might be on a security camera.
A six-camera surveillance system perched atop the LaSalle Hotel in downtown Bryan started recording Tuesday.
City officials plan to expand the program to other areas of the city, but the downtown system is the "backbone," said Jason James, a spokesman for the Bryan Police Department.
"This is Phase 1, so we can see how it works and see what we need to adjust," he said.
The system cost the department $103,000 and was paid for through government grants and property seizures.
James said while downtown Bryan is not a high-crime area, it was a good place to start with the cameras, primarily because of access to downtown's extensive fiberoptic network.
Critics have said the cameras intrude on the lives of residents, but Mayor Mark Conlee said the cameras are recording actions on public streets where privacy should not be expected.
"If you don't want to be seen in public, stay at home, I guess," he said.
James said the cameras will be recording 24 hours a day, but the footage will not be constantly monitored.
"We're not going to access the cameras unless something happens," he said. "Or if there's a big event."
He said the cameras could be useful in a variety of situations. If a child is missing during a popular event, he said, the cameras could zoom in to scan the crowd. And if someone were injured, the cameras could be used to more effectively give emergency responders a location.
The department hopes to expand the program and possibly gain access to security cameras operated by businesses, James said.
"Hopefully, a future plan will allow us to access cameras all over town," he said. "And this isn't like Big Brother. This will only be used to piece the puzzle back together after something happens."
On Tuesday, about 20 officers were trained on how to use the cameras. Four of the cameras are stationary, and two have panning and tilting capabilities.
Each camera added to the system is expected to cost the department between $2,000 and $4,000.
The cameras currently in operation can view activity north and south on Main Street and Bryan Avenue as well as a few blocks north and south of William Joel Bryan Parkway.
"Once we have a chance to work out all the bugs," James said, "then we can work on expanding the program further."
Comments
[comment]
16 comment(s) found!
Posted by:
On:
Friday, March 13, 2009 11:00 AM
Comment Title: Your government at wurk
No BIG BROTHA, right... Spend thou$and$ of dollar$ but NOT use them. Now that's a bright idea...
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Posted by:
On:
Friday, March 13, 2009 9:09 AM
Comment Title: Price
Why do these cameras cost so much. This is total nonsense unless someone has a finger in the PIE.
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Posted by:
SM On:
Friday, March 13, 2009 1:58 AM
Comment Title: Parking lot cameras
I'm not sure how many apartment complexes exist in College Station... but if it cost over $100,000 just to put 6 cameras in Bryan who do you think is going to pay for that kind of extensive installation? I certainly don't care to pour my money into it. If you're concerned about the safety of your apartment complex you have two options: move somewhere private, or petition your leasing office to purchase their own camera system. If you still think the city should pay for the safety of your vehicle when it's parked at your residence, send me your address. I'll happily support your suggestion after I get your contribution for the security system I installed at my own home.
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Posted by:
On:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 4:43 PM
Comment Title: Why downtown
Nothing good goes on in Downtown Bryan after dark so why do people go unless they are qu gay, buying drugs or want to meet up with some bangers? Reason during the day are limited to a couple of good restaurants, there is nothing else there one needs. Why spend more and more money?
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Posted by:
Real TV AKA-Court TV On:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:09 AM
Comment Title:
Thoroughly explains your mindset Rocky.
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Posted by:
On:
Thursday, March 12, 2009 9:31 AM
Comment Title: 1984 in 2009
1. Cameras not being monitored, why not, this way if a crime is being committed police could respond. Or maybe that is why not monitored so police can avoid. 2. What is this going to do to the Halo business and all the closet guys that want to keep their sexual preference a secret? 3. Would not a patrol car in area be more of a deterrant. 4. Most cameras do not take good enough photos to identify the criminals if they make just a little effort to avoid. 5. If it deters crime, I still do not like it because I don't like government especially the local police monitoring my civil rights.
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Posted by:
Watch Local news and Court TV. It is amazing . On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 10:23 PM
Comment Title: Rocky Patel Brazos County.
"Amazingly, humans act civil when they know they are being watched....Isn't that amazing?" Maybe you have not seen Real TV AKA-Court TV and seen the people being attacked and shot on camera. I do find the Low IQ of people like you funny. Are you are a product of BISD, Bryan and never been out of Bryan? Maybe you are the person called the Basher from Bryan? You sound like that idiot from a 4th generation Bryan family of welfare HUD living common thief's and drug users. Next time you steal a TV in the County get a satellite system also. It is easy to see why Bryan is in the condition it is today due to people like you.
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Posted by:
jwg On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 8:18 PM
Comment Title: great idea
While the cameras won't stop crime, they will certainly be a deterrant to crime. Amazingly, humans act civil when they know they are being watched....Isn't that amazing?
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Posted by:
Does a hold up at gun point count? The Eagle and KBTX archives have more on Crime in this area. On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 11:39 AM
Comment Title: Good idea for the City it is needed.
"We've had one tragic & rare crime in years and years" ARMED ROBBERY DOES NOT COUNT IN DOWNTOWN Bryan. Apr 11, 2008 KBTX.com-"Three Men Indicted for Robbery Outside Bryan Nightclub" http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/17562994.html "Men Robbed Leaving Bryan Club-Mar 8, 2008-Police say around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, two men were robbed as they were leaving Halo, a Bryan nightclub." "The men told police a car with three males drove past them and yelled something. They say the car then came back and met them as they were getting into their car. The victims told police the men took some cash from them at gunpoint, as well as a debit card and pin number."---http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/16418951.htmlW====What about all the break ins around X-mas 2008 and why the need for a Armed guard at the Hotel? This camera system is needed and I am happy to see it in Downtown. Now police the roads going into downtown.
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Posted by:
RE: Cameras in College Station please.... On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 10:15 AM
Comment Title:
Cameras in the parking lots makes a lot of sense. This is an asset rich city and can well afford to protect our students. Burglaries of both automobiles and habitations are so numerous in College Station, 10 to 12 daily, that they are no longer newsworthy. CSPD is overwhelmed, but congratulations are in order on this arrest and the March 9th arrest of Carlos Roberto Carrasco of College Station for vehicle burglary
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Posted by:
Good walls make good neighbors. Save CS wall off Bryan. On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 8:52 AM
Comment Title:
TWO BRYAN MEN!!!!"Two men have been charged with burglarizing three vehicles in a College Station apartment complex" "The officer detained Pedro Gavino Perez, 23, and Jose Leobardo Hernandez, both of Bryan, and determined they had taken several items from at least three vehicles in the parking lot."
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Posted by:
D.C. On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 8:43 AM
Comment Title: When keeping it real goes wrong
You keep it real when going into downtown Bryan. Only to find out that they keep it realer.
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Posted by:
Cameras in College Station please.... On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 8:07 AM
Comment Title: Put Cameras CS apartment parking lots
Forget about downtown Bryan. Cameras could be helpful in student housing and apartment parking lots as evidenced by today's story in The Eagle: "Two men have been charged with burglarizing three vehicles in a College Station apartment complex"
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Posted by:
Keeping it real - Downtown IS Safe On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 8:01 AM
Comment Title: Jamie@CS is wrong - we gotta keep it real
Downtown is safe. One of the safest areas in the Brazos Valley. Enough already...the falsehoods told about downtown being "unsafe" are just ridiculous. We've had one tragic & rare crime in years and years - a homeless on homeless crime. How many murders in suburban BCS last week? Two? Three? Tragic and awful--and not downtown. Enough about crime. Downtown is safe.
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Posted by:
Cameras In Downtown: Catching Downtown's # 1 Crime On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 7:55 AM
Comment Title: Cameras are an Interesting Idea
The cameras are an interesting idea and I hope they high quality -- enough to ID people who litter. The most frequent misbehavior we experience downtown is old fashion littering. We want to congratulate the downtowners and tourists who spend a little time each day gathering trash -- we'd like to give them an award. Recently we saw an office worker pick up cigarette butts and small bits of paper waste and deposit them in the waste can. When one witnesses that in person or on camera, one knows that pride in the neighborhood has returned and that there are fewer and fewer large pieces of waste to gather, meaning we are winning the battle against littering one day at a time. If the cameras allow enough detail to identify a person or license plates, the police could start issuing littering citations or good citizen awards tomorrow. Downtown is a great test bed for all types of technology and many activities because it is has a dense and efficient grid design, making distribution of fiber, cameras, or any technology more cost effective and less time consuming. The cameras are a welcome addition if they can keep our streets even safer and even cleaner.
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Posted by:
Jamie@CS On:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 7:40 AM
Comment Title: Great idea
This is a great idea downtown bryan is so dangerous but the cameras will make people a little safer at night.
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