Walking and shopping along Liberty Avenue in South Ozone Park may have been a little safer this holiday season.In September, the NYPD installed digital video surveillance cameras at 14 points along the avenue between Lefferts Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway.
Capt. Joseph Courtesis, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, requested the surveillance cameras along the stretch because of the high crime there and because the area met the requirements necessary for their installations.
Two cameras pan the areas around each of the light posts to which they are affixed.
After three days of recording, tapes are recorded over if they are not needed for evidence. The cameras’ pan-tilt-zoom capabilities give police the ability to retrieve license plate numbers at distances of two blocks.
The cameras can also go live and feed information to the borough’s command center.
The effects of the cameras have not been assessed yet. The precinct has not compiled crime statistics for the area since September. In addition, Courtesis noted that the deterrent value of the cameras cannot be measured since many in the community are not aware of them.
But those who do know of their installation appear pleased.
“It’s about time,” said Angela Antonino of South Ozone Park. “I think that it’s a good idea.”
She suggested that cameras be placed at high-traffic areas along Rockaway Boulevard.
“An extra eye for the police is always helpful,”said Joy Patron, also of South Ozone Park. “If this is going to be at the cost of less police officers, then it’s not a good thing.”
Courtesis has gotten similar feedback from others. “People like it, they want it in their area.” he said. “My answer to that is I’ll put it everywhere I possibly can. ... I want the shoppers to feel safe.”
Rockaway Boulevard, which has seen periods of high crime, will get cameras soon, Courtesis said, but he could not give a date for their installation.
Courtesis anticipates that once officers begin making more arrests using evidence from surveillance tapes, criminals will be wary of committing crime in the area.
After one such arrest, two robbery suspects who allegedly struck near one of the cameras, originally maintained their innocence. Borrowing the line of sportscaster Warner Wolf, Courtesis suggested: “Let’s go to the videotape.”
After seeing themselves on the surveillance footage, the two confessed. “That is one success story already that aided in our investigation,” Courtesis said.
The NYPD currently operates 120 surveillance cameras in places across the city and, despite the concerns some have raised about their privacy being invaded, plans to install hundreds more. Additionally, the NYPD monitors more than 3,000 cameras installed by the city Housing
Authority in 15 public housing developments. The department also reviews tape from 1,000 cameras in subways, with 2,100 scheduled to be in place by 2008.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has pushed for greater use of cameras, arguing that they have been effective as deterrents to crime and investigative tools.
