Surveillance towers in the county’s future

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux is again taking advantage of the latest technology to make the streets of the county safer.

The sheriff says he hopes to have the first of several giant surveillance towers in place in the next four months – towers which will aid the sheriff’s department in keeping a safe eye out for criminals.

On Wednesday, the sheriff of eight years said the first tower will be erected in the Cutler-orosi area and if it proves successful, he would like to install towers in Terra Bella, Strathmore, Earlimart, Tipton, Pixley and Richgrove.

“We are partnering with a security firm,” said the sheriff of the towers which will include a surveillance video system capable of capturing illegal activities.

“These cameras can see a license plate from 2 miles away,” he said. If put in place, the Strathmore tower will be able to capture illegal activities in Plainview.

Sheriff Boudreaux has not been shy about introducing technology into his department’s arsenal to fight crime. He has gone with body cameras on deputies, including those in the jails, has put in the air two surveillance aircraft, has a fleet of drones available for every substation, has instituted a liquid application called Smart Water which can be placed on equipment and will rub off on the hands of those who come in contact with it, including crooks.

The latest idea has been in the works for a while now, but the sheriff assured the cameras are not there to spy on residents.

“This isn’t big brother looking into back yards,” he said, adding the cameras will be directed at major intersections.

However, the system will include the capability for the cameras to turn to the sound of

gunfire. The camera will be able to move to the direction of gunfire, hopefully providing clues as to who fired the shots.

The sheriff also said the system comes with software that will allow investigators to search the recording database by simply inputting what they are looking for, such as a particular color vehicle. That will

take them to the point in the video that might have that vehicle and eliminate detectives from looking at hours of video to find that.

“This is the most modern, innovative piece of equipment,” out there, said the sheriff.

The system will live stream the video to the department’s dispatch center.