Those long-delayed public security cameras will be going up at five test locations along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood beginning Aug. 13.
The installation is part of a test by the city of the feasibility, cost, optimal locations and effectiveness of such cameras, which are intended to help public safety officers solve crimes and to deter criminals from committing them.
The city has chosen three companies to install the cameras at five intersections along Santa Monica Boulevard. The companies and the locations are:
— Konica Minolta (intersections of Santa Monica Boulevard with Fairfax and La Brea.
— Radius AI (intersections of Santa Monica Boulevard with Robertson and San Vicente.
— Verizon (intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Cienega)
City Council members at a meeting in March criticized City Hall for the length of time it was taking to begin the test, which was authorized in September 2016.
The Council in December 2015 directed the city’s Public Safety Commission and the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station to study the possibility of installing video systems in public areas. The Public Safety Commission established a subcommittee to study the feasibility of such a program, its possible cost and where such cameras should be installed. In September 2016, the City Council authorized the city’s Public Safety Department to request proposals from contractors who would evaluate the capabilities and costs for cameras in public places and design such a program. Two months later, the Public Safety Department reached out to seek such proposals, with a deadline of Jan. 5, 2017. It received 13 responses and narrowed the list to two qualified applicants, who it later decided were not satisfactory.
Six months later, in June 2017, the project was transferred from the Public Safety Department to the city’s Innovation Division, which was working on a plan to “weave technology into the city’s infrastructure. ” The Innovation Division researched possibilities, which included interviewing public safety officials in Beverly Hills, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Francisco Contreras, the city’s innovation manager, spoke to the complexity of the process in a recent email to Council members. “Besides the technical/engineering complexity of this pilot, negotiating the contract terms and indemnification language with the large firms has proved challenging,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, this knowledge will assist us in our evaluation of the vendors at the completion of the pilot and will better inform Council of the opportunities and challenges of an expanded or citywide implementation in the future.”
I do think THEY CAN DETER CRIME. HOWEVER – they should be recording and only accessible by an independent party than “The EYE of WeHo City Hall”. ALSO – along with REAL CAMERAS … which can be VERY COSTLY – Fake Identical Cameras should line the entire BLVD. … from Doheney to La Brea … and strategically have REAL CAMERAS to pick up as much as possible. I also think (they have it at UCLA and other places) an EMERGENCY BUTTON (like a button to push to cross the street) but a few that people alone at night can know… Read more »
Great idea. We need cameras citywide. Tired of all the illegal activities.
Glad to see these. I’ll definitely feel safer knowing they’re around and will pass 2 or 3 of them multiple times every day! This is especially true for those who work very late hours, like myself. As someone who works in IT Security, my biggest concern is coverage & sensor diversity. I’d also be concerned with whether the vendors they chose have the most effective implementations of this technology. In my experience, the chosen vendors have little experience in this market. Their greatest asset is their brand recognition from their consumer and professional photography and video production technology. The latest… Read more »
i hope these cameras take pictures of all of the illegally parked byrds and lime scooters blocking sidewalks, of riders on the sidewalk scaring people away and of two riders with no helmets playing circus games at target gateway. oh and of other CRIMES also.
We also need to start a campaign to get rid of sandwich boards on sidewalks in front of cafes. I have to walk around them if they are in my way, and these are also not permitted
Do those two things remotely compare to my friend’s head being beaten in, into the sidewalk 3+ years ago, across from the Sheriff’s station at SVB/BMB? Not at all. And he still hasn’t recovered. These cameras should be for violent crimes, hate crimes and muggings, primarily, and it infuriates me that it has taken this long to implement these, when they are present in other cities. The perpetrators of his crime, which was Memorial Day Weekend, 2015, might have been caught, with these present. If people are concerned about tiny scooters and sandwich boards in the right of way, how… Read more »
That only took two years after the City Council approved it.
Case & Point that West Hollywood NEEDS people willing to create enough drama to insure that those in power follow with important public safety measures! 🚑