A few months after announcing an expansion of video surveillance around the city, Chicago is creating a citywide fiber-optic grid with cameras and biometric sensors to help prevent crime, as well as watch for signs of terrorism and clear traffic tie-ups.
The city will use $53 million from a cable company settlement to fund the Homeland Security Grid system, which will consist of 388 miles of fiber-optic cable to link the cameras and sensors with Chicago’s 911 center, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Chicago officials announced last September that it would be adding 250 cameras to the 2,000 in the city’s video surveillance system, which aims its cameras at public spaces. City officials say the grid, which should be completed by mid-2006, will necessitate the addition of even more cameras.
