District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer, along side Mayor Jerry Sanders, San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne, Police Department Northern Division Captain Boyd Long, San Diego Lifeguards and other city officials, met at Mission Beach, near the foot of Belmont Park to unveil the new security camera system that promises to reduce crime and add resources to police department and lifeguard capabilities.
The five-camera video surveillance system currently includes two operational cameras at the lifeguard stations at Grand Avenue and Belmont Park.
Faulconer said the system will be fully operational by the end of June, with three additional cameras planned for installation in and around the Belmont Park parking lot.
“These cameras are very important to this community, because without a doubt it’s going to make Mission Beach safer,” Faulconer said.
The surveillance system complements the recent installation of new and upgraded streetlights in the Belmont Park area, including two on El Carmel Place near Mission Bay, he said.
The Northern Division of the San Diego Police Department can remotely manage the system with a light duty officer from a lifeguard station while another officer can monitor the feed in real-time from Northern Division headquarters. The department records the feed on a five-day rotation at Northern Division headquarters, Capt. Long said.
Capt. Long said the video would add several benefits to law enforcement capabilities, including enhanced safety to officers responding to calls. The feed can assist first responders with crucial information such as suspect and witness locations. Lifeguards will also benefit from the system because the cameras can be turned seaward to observe sea conditions or to locate possible drowning victims, he said.
Signage will also be posted near the cameras alerting the public to the presence of the equipment, adding to the video system’s capability as a crime deterrent. He added that strict protocol dictating camera operation will be in place to ensure that individual privacy not be violated.
The system will not take any patrol officers off the street as light duty officers who usually work the telephone reports to the department will have the added responsibility of monitoring the surveillance system.
The camera system will eventually have the ability to send the video signal directly into a compatible patrol car computer so officers can have an additional visual aid, Capt. Long said.
“This is going to be one more tool in our arsenal of the police department to fight crime in your neighborhood with future expansions already in the planning stages,” Capt. Long said.
Manufactured by Dotworkz Systems, the system cost about $110,000. About $80,000 in funds came from the Department of Park and Recreation and about $30,000 in private donations, Faulconer said.
The surveillance system came about as a result of the response to a home invasion near Belmont Park in October 2006 were two University of San Diego students were raped.
The combined responses from local government, the police department and community watch groups fast-tracked the system’s installation, Faulconer said.
A similar monitoring program has already been around for about a year in the Mid City area, and planning for a citywide video monitoring program is underway, according to Capt. Long.