What role does surveillance play in stopping crime?

South Park Studies: Safety in the Public Realm

LEARN

Cities install closed circuit television in the hope of deterring crime, mobilizing a more effective response, and gathering evidence. CCTV usually has a small effect on overall crime — and is particularly effective at deterring crime in vehicle related crimes. In recent years, Chicago police have made a significant investment in CCTV networks, along with surveillance centers where civilian analysts work alongside police to identify crime trends. This CCTV program, while successful from the point of view of law enforcement, has been criticized from as an invasion of privacy. Read more in this article from the New York Times.

Can 30,000 Cameras Help Solve Chicago’s Crime Problem?
New York Times, May 26, 2018

CHICAGO — Just after 3 a.m. on May 4, a police officer received an alert that gunshots had been fired near an alley in a neighborhood known as the Back of the Yards.

The alert came from a hidden street sensor called a ShotSpotter, and the officer was able to pull up a map of nearby police cameras and review the video. Without leaving a room the size of a walk-in closet, he watched a man fire seven times, striking another man, who turned out to be a federal agent, in the face.

Switching from one high-definition camera to the next, the officer tracked the gunman as he fled. Unlike the grainy security videos of old, the picture quality from the cameras, which are equipped with night vision technology, was so pristine that the officer was able to watch the man wipe sweat off his face.

The tiny rooms have a large-sounding name, Strategic Decision Support Centers, and provide a peek into what could be the future of urban American policing — if they do not run afoul of American notions of privacy. They can deliver the license plate of every passing vehicle, a photo of every area resident with an arrest record, gang boundaries, 911 reports and more, right to a patrol officer’s cellphone.

Read the full article here.

GET INVOLVED

Locally, the LAPD Real Time Analysis and Critical Response Division acts as a “digital war room,” where analysts monitor live feeds of city and traffic cameras, counter-terrorism information, and real-time crime mapping. To learn more about LAPD operations residents can join the Community Police Academy — a ten-week course offered free of charge. Learn more here.

ABOUT

South Park Studies is a new initiative designed to bring you news and resources on the topics we hear questions about the most — homelessness, daycare and school availability, transportation, and more. Each topic will consist of a multi-week series of article recommendations, volunteer opportunities, and more. Catch up on our first series, exploring homelessness, by clicking here. Learn more about South Park by visiting southpark.la.