Buying cameras is positive step to combat crime
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s office is putting money where their motives are with the investment in street cameras to reduce crime in Pottstown.
The program to install 10 street surveillance cameras at crime “hot spots” in the borough was unveiled at a recent borough council meeting and endorsed with a unanimous vote by council.
The technology of street cameras as a tool against crime has been used successfully in other towns and cities, most notably Lancaster and Lansdale.
In Lansdale, the overall crime rate has dropped by 36 percent in the five years that they have been using cameras, Pottstown Police Chief Richard Drumheller told council at the Aug. 1 meeting.
Drumheller compared cameras to “assigning a mini-patrol officer to watch your street 24/7.”
Drumheller first introduced the idea of cameras nearly two years ago when a wave of shootings tied to gangs rivalry created heightened concerns about crime among Pottstown residents. He encouraged businesses and homeowners to invest in surveillance cameras, but funding was not available for the police to install and monitor a borough-wide system.
That’s where the county is stepping up. The investment in cameras comes as part of the Community Prosecution Unit introduced in Pottstown a month ago as an initiative to focus resources on local crime.
District Attorney Kevin Steele said the unit will demonstrate that by concentrating county prosecutor resources at the community level with local police, crime can be reduced and townspeople can enjoy a greater sense of security and safety.
The cameras program comes on the heels of the establishment of the team of three prosecutors. “This is another example of this office’s commitment to this community,” said Brianna Ringwood, who leads the Community Prosecution Unit, in introducing the cameras program.
The cost of installing the infrastructure for the system and the first year of maintenance will be borne by the county, which is using funds confiscated during criminal prosecutions to pay for the system. As the system expands, local investment will be necessary, whether it is from the borough, businesses or foundations.
Other towns and cities have demonstrated the investment gets results. Ringwood pointed to a 2011 study by the Urban Institute, which concluded that surveillance cameras aid in preventing crime, aiding arrests and supporting investigations. The study cited results in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C., where crime dropped on average 30 percent per month after cameras were installed.
But even more telling is the example right in Montgomery County of Lansdale. Lansdale’s 3.8 square miles has more than 20 street surveillance cameras, and since they began to be installed in 2010, the overall crime rate in town has dropped by 36 percent, according to Lansdale Police Detective Sgt. Mike Trail, who oversees the department’s camera operation.
Trail said the cameras have also helped police shut down nuisance bars and combat vandalism.
To avoid concerns about privacy, Lansdale does not install cameras in residential areas. Drumheller has also gone on record previously that as cameras are installed, residents’ privacy will be guarded.
As Lansdale has learned, the cost of operating and replacing cameras is not cheap. But the $35,000 annual cost is still less than adding officers, and the results demonstrate the value.
The county D.A. purchase of cameras to start this program in Pottstown is a welcome investment and a strong reinforcement of the Community Prosecution Unit initiative. We look forward to success in reducing crime in a program that builds on local investment in the future of Pottstown.
Other towns and cities have demonstrated the investment gets results.