SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The police department here will add 19 cameras to its citywide surveillance program after the Syracuse Common Council approved the use of a grant to fund the cameras.
The city first started its surveillance program in April 2011 by installing nine cameras on the city’s west side to reduce violent crime in the area, reports CNYCentral.com. Now, officials will place cameras in high crime areas that reported the most shots fired.
“We want to put these cameras where they’re going to be most effective at,” Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler said during a press conference. “We want to put these cameras where people are suffering the most. We want to put these cameras where people need some type of relief.”
Since the program’s implementation, the numbers of crime reported in high crime areas have dropped 25%, according to Fowler.
“There is no doubt in my mind that these cameras work,” he said. “The numbers speak for themselves and I’ve seen it.”
The city plans to begin installing cameras in September and expects the job’s completion by the end of the year. Funds for the camera will come from a $680,000 federal grant.
