The TPSC's First Kick At CCTV

February 02, 2007 20:44 +0000 | Why I'm Here 7

So last night's meeting with the Toronto Police Services Board over CCTV was interesting. For starters, the auditorium was nearly empty. I figure this is partly because of the lack of publicity the event got, as well as the general apathy most of the public seem to have about CCTV. Regardless, in a room suited for about 200, there were roughly 7-10 citizens and 20 officers of varying stripes.

This lack of turnout though meant that the TPSC message got a lot of time at the mic. I was probably up there for about 20minutes asking question after question, Stephen went up twice, and John had a lengthy turn as well. Our questions were met with a friendly attitude, but not so much with useful answers.

The most crucial questions of financing were essentially ignored because those responsible for the public purse, the Ontario government had no representation there. This was only the police. So, questions regarding the total cost of purchasing and maintenance, where that money was coming from etc. all were effectively met with an "I don't know, ask Queen's Park" line.

Similarly, questions regarding their sources such as when I asked about which studies they were citing to support their desire for CCTV were met with vague answers like "Well, we read all the sources to acquire a balanced view". When pressed for more specific papers, he could only offer the names of two:

Spriggs & Gill
US Justice Department

Pushing for more got me nowhere. We've read the Spriggs & Gill report and it flat-out says that cameras have little effect and cost way too much for the benefits involved.

Some more info that we gleaned from the experience included that they'll be tendering an RFP to City Hall regarding who to buy the cameras from, and the results of this pilot will be analysed by themselves as well as "A BC University... I can't remember which one". My guess is that he was thinking about SFU, but I can't know for sure.

They intend to purchase 15 cameras for use in 4 regions including Queen & Lansdowne, Jane & Finch and two others.

We also got them to commit on a few things:

Decisions to erect cameras were a decision for City Hall
They are not accepting money from BIAs (whatever that means)
Beat cop numbers will not decrease with the presence of cameras

The important thing we walked away from this with was that this pilot is a done deal It's already paid for by the provincial government and they're simply following through with it. We have a lot in store for what's next, but for those looking for how I feel about this all so far, I'd have to go with "uneasy, but pleased at the moment".

Edit: 2007-02-03 00:33:00

I forgot the coolest part: There was a reporter from The Toronto Sun there, and he quoted me in his story.

Comments

Scott
2 Feb 2007, 9:52 p.m. |

It's not that I'm apathetic about these CCTV cameras. It's really that I'm very much in favour of them. My only disappointment with the plan thus far is how few cameras are involved.

I should point out that I was one of the squeaky wheels that got my building to install cameras all over the place recently. :)

Daniel
2 Feb 2007, 10:01 p.m. |

I'm always curious about people who are so in support of these things. Is it because you think it makes you safer? Do you have any actual proof that this is the case?

Wouldn't you agree that good lighting, a solid and engaged police presence is far more effective at deterring crime than simply putting up an expensive camera that will only watch it happen?

Scott
4 Feb 2007, 2:35 p.m. |

If I were a criminal, I'd be worried about witnesses. Police can't be everywhere at all times. Lighting can't testify against me in court. A camera is the ultimate objective witness. It never blinks. It will give a better description of me than any human witness ever could. It will be more convincing to a jury than any testimony ever could be.

Since the cameras went up at my building, we've no longer had drug-using teens clustered in the north-west corner of the building, sitting on an airconditioner. We no longer have homeless people sneaking into the stairwells to sleep (and, too often, pee.) Two people who'd been rumoured to be drug users have given their notice to move out.

I don't know about the stats of whether cameras make me safer, but they definitely make me feel safer.

Carolina
5 Feb 2007, 5:13 a.m. |

There are similar discussions underway in Vancouver regarding the Granville downtown strip. I think that the cameras are a great idea even though I doubt they will dicourage that scumbag 3% of our population that lives by crime. The most significant impact these cameras will have will be their credibility in court. Crimes caught on camera would have solid evidence in court and could not be disputed.