5 months ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - Sacramento took the next step in installing more surveillance cameras in the city.
The Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday night to accept $614,000 in federal money to pay for the cameras, and directed the Sacramento Police Department to develop guidelines on how those cameras will be used.
"Will the cameras erase crime? Probably not. Will it help deter crime? Absolutely," said Mayor Kevin Johnson.
The American Civil Liberties Union opposed the plan to install surveillance cameras throughout the city. The ACLU said the cameras are an invasion of privacy and may open the door to racial profiling.
But following the council's vote, ACLU spokesman Jim Updegraff said, "We are pleased that the council understood that the police, no matter how well meaning, cannot be allowed to utilize these high tech tools without at least guidelines to protect everyone's basic rights."
The Sacramento Police Department said the cameras are another tool to help minimize crime on the streets, and that putting up more camera will not infringe on people's rights.
"You can go online, look around the world, there are surveillance cameras monitoring major cities and major iconic places like Tiananmen Square, so cameras are everywhere," said Sacramento Police Sgt. Norm Leong.
News10/KXTV
