More Police Using Video to Fight Crime

02-10-2010 • Officer.com

Surveillance video cameras are sprouting in mid-sized communities across the USA as police borrow the crime-fighting tool from big metro areas. Saginaw, Mich. (population 55,238), last year installed 17 video cameras at a water/skate park and plans to add more by June in other parts of the city, says Mayor Greg Branch. "Crime for us is trending downward, but we still have a lot more crime than we want," he says. Another factor: Cameras are cheaper than hiring more cops. "Every city is facing budget pressures," Branch says. "We can't put more police on the street." A $300,000 federal grant will pay for the new cameras.