‘Eyes on the street’: 88 new cameras to watch ART route
Mayor: Links to Real Time Crime Center will help keep corridor safe
The Albuquerque Police Department now has access to 88 new video cameras mounted at Albuquerque Rapid Transit stations that run along Central Avenue, Mayor Tim Keller said on Tuesday.
The department’s Real Time Crime Center can access video from those cameras at any time, which can help officers investigate crimes and accidents. Officials also hope the cameras will act as a deterrent to crime.
Part of bringing the ART corridor back to life, Keller said, is making the area safer and more vibrant for the city.
“We want our officers to have all of the tools possible to be able to fight crime,” Keller said. “We also want our community to feel safe, whether they’re riding the system when it gets up
and running or just driving up and down Central. Eighty-eight new cameras is a huge increase in terms of our eyes on the street. This hopefully will make a big difference in terms of crime along the Central corridor.”
Keller said APD and the Transit Department worked together to integrate the new camera system with the Real Time Crime Center. Analysts at the center can instantly access a live feed from their monitors, he said, just as they can access cameras throughout the city, including those mounted on traffic lights.
The city’s 27 ART stations have security cameras at every location from the Central and Unser Transit Center on the West Side to the Tramway station on the far east side. The stations also include an emergency 911 button on the kiosk.
APD Chief Michael Geier said the department is looking for ways to increase the benefits and usage of the Real Time Crime Center, which he described as a “critical crimefighting tool.”
“We are also looking for ways to expand our reach, so that the (Real Time Crime Center) can access video cameras that can help us deter and investigate crime,” Geier said. “Our officers constantly reach out to the center here as they approach crime scenes, accidents and other incidents where video footage can make all the difference in the world. The more access that we have to these cameras and videos, the more likely we would be able to get a good description of an offender or vehicle leaving the scene.”
The cost of the cameras and installation on the platforms, around $200,000, was built into the cost of the ART project, according to Keller. The project, including associated utility and road work, comes at a cost of $135 million.
The city has secured $75 million from the federal government to pay for the project, in addition to a $14 million grant received earlier this year to reimburse the city for expenses related to roadwork on Central Avenue.
About $39,000 in funding for integrating the system to the Real Time Crime Center came from the city’s public safety budget.