Englewood police are looking to put surveillance cameras downtown. Englewood is a small city of 27,147 people. NorthJersey.com reports that they are not looking to replace the police but to provide an extra set of eyes.
This is good thinking on the police department's part because cameras can provide a helping set of eyes to investigate retail theft even if the stores themselves may not have had cameras. Cameras can also be very useful for crowd control and making sure that people are flowing in the proper routes during events.
The initial cost of setting up surveillance cameras may seem high, but in the long run, extending the reach of the current officers may be beneficial to a small department of about 76 police officers. Englewood is planning on putting the cameras in on their main corridor which is Palisade Avenue. There is a particular interest in a number of potential attacks against Hispanic laborers in the area.
Privacy is a concern among the chief and the local council members, so the city is planning on making sure that the cameras do not point into the retail shops. With the number of police that actually walks a beat less than in previous years, they are looking to increase safety by multiplying their force via the cameras.