Chief Hurtt's surveillance cameras are installed and ready to go
All that's needed now is Mayor White's approval:
Houston has never proposed using cameras to monitor everyday street traffic, but Police Chief Harold Hurtt says five cameras, purchased by the Downtown Management District, are set to be installed along Main Street. Hurtt says the devices may send video feeds to a police substation.
Houston Mayor Bill White has said he must give the final okay before such cameras are used.
See, these are baby steps. Let's recall that Chief Hurtt has big plans for surveillance cameras:
Chief Hurtt believes it would be cheaper to have the cameras than to hire enough police officers and have them at every street corner. He's even suggesting that those homeowners who have too many calls for service to their homes be forced to install the cameras as well.
Chief Hurtt also wants apartment complexes with too many service calls to install cameras as well -- cameras that HPD will monitor. And he says that as long as you're not doing anything wrong, you shouldn't worry about the cameras.
Did Chief Hurtt approach the Downtown Management District initially about this program? Is that how he's getting around all the ins and outs that would be needed to get this approved? He can say the cameras are paid for and installed, so why not let HPD watch the feed?
It's very underhanded and sneaky, and Mayor White should shut down the idea. But he probably won't.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 07/05/06 06:07 PM | Print |
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