From the "Norman Rockwell Meets George Orwell" dept.
Columbia, Illinois, population nine thousand, has had crime rates below the national average for over 10 years running. The biggest criminal case of last year one was two high school athletes being busted for underage drinking. But why should that stop it from deploying a wall to wall video surveillance network throughout the town.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:
A network of surveillance cameras watches residents and passersby in this small town, from high in the sky next to the water tower, in parks and schools, and even in some residential neighborhoods.
Columbia is a bedroom community of about 9,000 residents that takes a big-city approach to fighting crime. The city has at least 11 cameras trained over the town's nine square miles. Many of the cameras resemble small, round street lights and can zoom from a mile away.
Columbia police have turned to the cameras as a basic element of law enforcement. However, no written policy governs their use.
Crime is not a big issue in Columbia, where one of the most memorable criminal events last year was two high school athletes being busted for underage drinking. Hot issues in this town range from mandating brick home construction to debating how to develop a large swath of land along Interstate 255 near the Jefferson Barracks Bridge.
From 1996 to 2006, the city's crime rate has remained well below national averages, according to data compiled by the Illinois State Police.
Columbia began buying surveillance equipment a few years ago, according to budget documents obtained by the Post-Dispatch.
The city appropriated $2,250 for a park security camera in 2005. Police said they wanted to crack down on vandalism.
In 2006, officials budgeted $8,400 for two more surveillance cameras. Last year, the budget included $18,000 for wireless surveillance cameras.
Other money is spent on monitors and staffing.
The total amount spent on the program is unclear.
"The plan was to expand the program through the years," said Lester Schneider, Columbia's former mayor. "It makes sense to protect the town from crime or terrorism or whatever."
The cameras beam video to a control room at police headquarters. The city's most recent budget allocates $394,532 to the control room, which includes equipment and salaries for dispatchers who work there.
Last fall, police say, the cameras helped them arrest a sex offender who was loitering in a park, near a school. And, they say, it has rid the parks of vandalism.
But some of the cameras, with their powerful lenses, can see into residential areas.
Police confirmed that they sometimes placed cameras in residential neighborhoods to investigate reports of crime, and acknowledged the cameras have produced few results.
Columbia, Illinois, population nine thousand, has had crime rates below the national average for over 10 years running. The biggest criminal case of last year one was two high school athletes being busted for underage drinking. But why should that stop it from deploying a wall to wall video surveillance network throughout the town.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:
A network of surveillance cameras watches residents and passersby in this small town, from high in the sky next to the water tower, in parks and schools, and even in some residential neighborhoods.
Columbia is a bedroom community of about 9,000 residents that takes a big-city approach to fighting crime. The city has at least 11 cameras trained over the town's nine square miles. Many of the cameras resemble small, round street lights and can zoom from a mile away.
Columbia police have turned to the cameras as a basic element of law enforcement. However, no written policy governs their use.
Crime is not a big issue in Columbia, where one of the most memorable criminal events last year was two high school athletes being busted for underage drinking. Hot issues in this town range from mandating brick home construction to debating how to develop a large swath of land along Interstate 255 near the Jefferson Barracks Bridge.
From 1996 to 2006, the city's crime rate has remained well below national averages, according to data compiled by the Illinois State Police.
Columbia began buying surveillance equipment a few years ago, according to budget documents obtained by the Post-Dispatch.
The city appropriated $2,250 for a park security camera in 2005. Police said they wanted to crack down on vandalism.
In 2006, officials budgeted $8,400 for two more surveillance cameras. Last year, the budget included $18,000 for wireless surveillance cameras.
Other money is spent on monitors and staffing.
The total amount spent on the program is unclear.
"The plan was to expand the program through the years," said Lester Schneider, Columbia's former mayor. "It makes sense to protect the town from crime or terrorism or whatever."
The cameras beam video to a control room at police headquarters. The city's most recent budget allocates $394,532 to the control room, which includes equipment and salaries for dispatchers who work there.
Last fall, police say, the cameras helped them arrest a sex offender who was loitering in a park, near a school. And, they say, it has rid the parks of vandalism.
But some of the cameras, with their powerful lenses, can see into residential areas.
Police confirmed that they sometimes placed cameras in residential neighborhoods to investigate reports of crime, and acknowledged the cameras have produced few results.
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