West University Place will be placing dozens of cameras around the city’s boundaries to record visitors and cut down on crime.
Here’s a look at why and when:
West University Place Police Chief Ken Walker said the city will need more officers in the next five years, but finding qualified candidates is becoming more and more difficult.
« I think in the long run it will be a lot more cost-efficient to invest in technology instead of people, » he said.
The city wants to create a « virtual gate » around West U., posting the cameras all along its perimeter at busy intersections that lead into and out of the city.
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« On our perimeter are very busy streets and a freeway, so it’s easy entrance and exit for people who are looking to commit crimes, » Mayor Susan Sample said.
The cameras will read license plate information and send an alert to West U. police dispatchers if a plate is linked to a person or vehicle they are looking for.
The city budgeted $4.2 million for the four- to five-year project.
Work on infrastructure for the cameras will begin in 2018.
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