by KYW's Tony Hanson
Two hundred fifty new security cameras are going up in Philadelphia (see previous stories).
Deputy police commissioner Jack Gaittens says the first of the new cameras will go up in an area of West Philadelphia that has been plagued by violence for years:
"The first area we are committed to is the area of 52nd and Market. When they put the 'high spot' up there, that will be able to receive camera signals from a two-mile radius. So we are not just looking at a particular intersection.
"And when we look at the crime out there, we are focusing most, at least for the initial, we are looking for the violent crimes. And we are looking to put them in areas where we have high pedestrian and vehicular traffic, particularly in the commercial area."
But cameras are also going up up in other areas around the city. Gaittens says the first cameras should be in operation within weeks, thanks to a $9-million deal between the city and Unisys:
"People will get the message that the cameras are out there and if you intend to get involved in some type of activity, you better look around first and maybe rethink it."
The existence of cameras can also move criminals and crime to other areas, but Gaittens says police will monitor that:
"There may be an issue with displacement, but we stay on top of the crime patterns continuously so we would be able to respond to that."
The city says all 250 cameras should be in operation in less than a year, and authorities eventually hope to expand beyond 250.
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