Cool Spring / Tilton Neighborhood Association

Smile Wilmington, You're on Camera

City Expands Use of Mounted Cameras to Deter Crime

Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker announced the expansion and completion
of the Wilmington Downtown Video Safety Partnership Program, making
Wilmington the first City in the nation to complete the installation of a
video safety monitoring system that covers its entire downtown district.

The Downtown Video Safety Partnership, which includes the City of Wilmington
and its Police Department, Downtown Visions, and the City's corporate and
business community, makes use of both video and audio technology to prevent
crime and improve public safety in the City's 69-square block business
district.

25 City-owned Cameras and more than 100 Private used

Marty Hageman, Executive Director of Downtown Visions, said the first phase of the program, activated on
April 10, 2001, involved a system of 11 cameras covering an area from 8th
Street north to the Brandywine River.

The activation of the second phase of the program, involves the addition of 14
new cameras that will monitor an area from 7th Street south to Martin Luther
King Boulevard. In addition to the 25-camera monitoring system operated and
managed by Downtown Visions, the Video Safety Partnership is augmented by
more than 100 cameras that are owned and operated by scores of businesses
and corporations in Downtown Wilmington.

"The key to this program, which has proven to deter and reduce crime and
help to change the perception of public safety in Wilmington, is its ability
to offer immediate communication and coordination through the use of video
images and audio connections," Mayor Baker said. "Thanks to Downtown
Visions, the Wilmington Police Department and our business partners, we
continue to put criminals on notice that violations of the law in Wilmington
will not be tolerated and assure residents, workers and visitors that we are absolutely committed to making Wilmington a safer, more attractive and
enjoyable City."

According to Director Hageman, the total cost of the 25-camera Video Safety
System is $800,000, which has been funded through appropriations by the City of Wilmington, New Castle County and State of Delaware governments as well as corporate sponsors and foundation grants.

Police Chief Suggests Cameras Are Helping

Wilmington Police Chief Szczerba said the value of the first phase of the video monitoring system can be demonstrated by a comparison of downtown crime from an 18-month period beginning in 2000 and into early 2001, prior to the start-up of Phase One of the project, to the 18-month period since April of 2001 when first 11 cameras were activated.

According to statistics compiled
by Wilmington Police and Downtown Visions, burglaries are down by 32%,
robberies are down by 5%, shoplifting is down by 22%, and theft of
automobiles has been reduced by about 20%.

"We have the ability to monitor the Video Safety camera system from Police
Headquarters which gives us an instant look at incidents in progress," Chief
Szczerba said. "Responding officers have a better idea of what is happening,
where it is happening, and who is involved. At the same time, as we receive criminal incident reports at Headquarters, we can immediately request that the Downtown Visions staff begin tracking the incident on camera, giving us a head start of sorts on an incident in progress. Our crime fighting tools have increased immensely under this system." Szczerba added.

According to Director Hageman, during the 18-month period in which the first
11 cameras have been in place, the system was used more than 270 times to
assist Police during incidents in progress, leading to the arrest of more
than 110 criminal suspects. In addition, Hageman said trained Downtown
Visions staff initiated more than 150 incidents for immediate response and
investigation by Police after observing suspected criminal activity during
their regular camera monitoring shifts or through street patrols that are
carried out daily by Downtown Visions staff.

"We are very proud of what we have accomplished by working together in
Wilmington to improve public safety," said Chairperson Geer at today's news
conference. "With the second phase of the program being launched today, we
are again demonstrating what can be accomplished for our City when
government and business officials work in tandem with corporate security
personnel and municipal law enforcement professionals to make Wilmington a
more enjoyable place to live, work and visit."

Mayor Baker, Chief Szczerba, Director Hageman and Chairperson Geer said the
fact that Wilmington has taken such extraordinary steps to establish video
monitoring for its entire downtown area should be taken as a sign that the
City is extremely serious about public safety and the perception of public
safety.

"Urban areas like Wilmington have been plagued for far too long by a
perception of crime that does not necessarily match reality," Mayor Baker
said. "We are working creatively every day to tell the real story of our
historic and beautiful City, and to the City's credit, people from all walks
of life are discovering why this is one of the best cities in the nation."

Check Out Al Mascitti's Take on Wilmington's Video Surveilance

The NewsJournal