Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Boston Area Surveillance Cameras

The Somerville Journal reports City officials install surveillance cameras around Somerville.

"Somerville is not alone in its quest to spy on city streets. This year, government officials plan to install nearly 100 new surveillance cameras in nine cities and towns in the Greater Boston area with federal grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Somerville, Brookline, Cambridge, Quincy and Winthrop — all municipalities that previously did not have surveillance cameras — now plan to install the surveillance equipment, according to government officials.

The 95 new cameras come at a price tag of $4.6 million, which includes the cost of developing a wireless network that connects the public safety agencies in the region, according to Jennifer Mehigan, a spokesperson for Boston Mayor Tom Menino."

1 comment:

Karl said...

It seems a little dishonest the way they quote the price. I get that they don't have actual information as to how the cost breaks down, but the wording used seems designed to trigger outrage.

Building infrastructure to allow public agencies to interoperate seems like a good thing to me, and I would guess includes a large portion of that cost.