Increase in Video Surveillance Reducing Crime in Utah Town; Business Owners Rejoice
Cameras and flashing blue lights have deterred crime in six months since cameras were installed downtown.
Most of the cameras have been placed in high-traffic corners downtown.
OGDEN, Utah — Surveillance cameras installed downtown approximately six months ago have reduced crime, Odgen Police have found, much to the delight of business owners.
One example is outside of Moore’s Barbershop, where a camera was installed along with a flashing blue light on the street post.
“We’re very happy to see that blue light flashing out there,” Frank Ortega, owner of Moore’s Barbershop, told KUTV in Salt Lake City. “We don’t leave the door unlocked, but we feel pretty comfortable having it here.”
The cameras have mostly been placed in high-traffic corners.
“When criminals think twice about committing a crime because they don’t want to be caught on camera doing it, that helps citizens,” Ogden City crime analyst Jason Christensen said.
The expected privacy concerns surround the increase in surveillance, but the Ogden Police say the purpose of the cameras is to provide evidence of crimes that have already happened and deter criminal activity.
“I know it can be like scary ‘big brother stuff,’ but in reality we don’t watch the cameras all the time,” Christensen said.
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