(TNS) — The sort of pole-topping, mobile security cameras best known for looming over the parking lots of big-box stores are now getting a government job in San Francisco, where they will monitor the city’s high-crime zones when police officers are away.
Mayor London Breed unveiled the new fleet of camera trailers Monday as the latest addition in a wave of high-tech crime-fighting tools. The initial three cameras are launching weeks after city officials announced a new system of police-operated drones and automated license plate readers.
“New technology has been a game-changer for public safety in this city,” Breed said in a statement. “As we continue to fill our academy classes with new recruits, this technology not only helps our existing officers be more efficient today, but it means as our ranks grow we will see even more impact.”
The first mobile units will be deployed in areas known for specific types of crime, including drug sales in the Tenderloin and SoMa neighborhoods, illegal sex work in the Mission and various merchant corridors that have been hit hard by burglaries, city officials said. The city will add more units in the coming weeks.
The latest security systems come as Breed faces a close reelection bid in a city where public safety remains a top concern among voters. Breed and police officials have credited the new technology for helping to drive down the types of crime the city has become infamous for in recent years, including car break-ins and burglaries.
It wasn’t immediately clear, however, how much the city’s new tools have affected its rates of crime, as initial reports from cities across the country show similar drops in crime.
The mobile units are made by LiveView Technologies, and each includes three cameras on top of a 22-foot mast. The system comes with floodlights, strobes and a speaker that can play announcements, and the cameras can be outfitted with thermal and panoramic lenses, officials said.
The burst of new technology comes after voters in March approved the Breed-authored Proposition E, which expanded the powers of police to use new surveillance systems.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Police Chief Bill Scott also cheered the latest devices.
“We are excited to add another tool in our department’s tool belt,” Scott said in a statement. “Our officers are already eagerly embracing other technologies like (automated license plate readers) and drones to make significant arrests. I can’t wait to see what they will do with assistance from these security units.”
2024 the San Francisco Chronicle. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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