City-Wide CCTV Coming to Chicago

Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM

The city of Chicago plans to deploy more than 2,000 surveillance cameras in public places that would be tied into sophisticated software to spot emergencies or suspicious behavior under a plan announced by Mayor Richard Daley.

“Cameras are the equivalent of hundreds of sets of eyes,” Daley told The Associated Press. “They are the next best thing to having police officers stationed at every potential trouble spot.”

Officials say the bulk of the cameras are already in use at O'Hare International Airport, on the city's transit lines and in public housing, parks and schools. An additional 250 surveillance cameras still to be bought will raise the number available to more than 2,000.

The cameras would not all be continuously monitored by officers; however, software that detects activity on the video images, such as a bag being abandoned in a stairwell or wrong-way movement, will be coupled with the cameras.

If the software picked up suspicious behavior, a staff member in the city's Office of Emergency Management would be alerted.

Operators in 9-1-1 centers would be able to control a camera's image to help direct aid to a victim or gather evidence for police.

The Chicago system is expected to be in place by the spring of 2006. The $5.1 million cost will be covered through a federal Homeland security grant.

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