By Cliff Lewis

On Tuesday evening, several dozen Lancaster City residents met for the first of four community meetings regarding a $3 million plan to introduce 105 new surveillance cameras in the city. The gathering was hosted by Joe Morales, City Council Member and Executive Director of the Lancaster Community Safety Coalition (LCSC). The LCSC is a private organization of citizens interested in pursuing the implementation of digital video technology to reduce crime in Lancaster City.

The meeting began with a presentation from Morales about the demonstrated benefits of public surveillance cameras that have already been installed Downtown. In one instance, according to Morales, an illegal firearm exchange was spotted by a camera operator who then immediately notified the authorities. Within five minutes, an arrest was made and the weapon was taken off the streets.

Morales also took time to settle some possible concerns. For those concerned about operators spying onto private property, he explained that the camera system is programmed to “patch” over the windows of every private residence, such that a camera operator can see nothing but black space in those areas. Also, for those concerned about the LCSC storing excessive volumes of surveillance footage, Morales explained that all footage is deleted within seven days of its recording, unless a particular segment is involved in a criminal investigation:

“So if you’re walking down Penn Square, buying a hotdog, and nothing happens that day, that video is erased and gone within five to seven days.”

When Morales opened the floor for public comment, the responses ranged from praise to protest. Some attendees complained that the proposed system could push crime out of “watched” neighborhoods and into neighborhoods without the cameras. One man expressed concern that such systems have not sufficiently been proven effective and could easily fall under abuse; he recommended that other attendees visit www.aclu.org/privacy/spying to gather a balanced perspective on the issue.

Other attendees were eager to see the cameras implemented in the City. Several community members expressed particular interest in seeing their own neighborhoods fitted with the technology as quickly as possible: One woman even asked how much it would cost to independently fund the installation of such a camera.