Owen Sound is moving ahead with a video surveillance pilot program in hopes of improving the perception of safety downtown.
Council approved a recommendation at its meeting Monday evening to embark on a three-year pilot, which will include the installation of up to 17 cameras in the River District. Nine cameras will be put up at intersections along 8th, 9th and 10th Streets in the first phase
The cameras won’t provide real-time monitoring and won’t have audio capabilities.
“This is not a surveillance system with somebody in a room, with all 17 monitors in front of them watching movement on every camera,” City Manager Tim Simmonds told councillors. “This is simply, the cameras will capture video and store that data as per our video surveillance policy. And then that video data can be accessed to aid Owen Sound Police Services in potentially identifying suspects, reconstructing events and building a prosecution case.”
Simmonds says Owen Sound Police, the Owen Sound & District Chamber of Commerce and the River District Board have been supportive of the video camera pilot.
According to report by Simmonds, the city and Owen Sound Police Service will be working on a memorandum of understanding to operate the camera system. Police would have access to the system, but the city would be responsible for “auditing the access process.”
Simmonds says the video cameras should be operational by September.
Coun. Jon Farmer acknowledged people are “rightfully concerned about the idea of there being increasing surveillance” but felt the city’s program mitigated some of those concerns.
“I also think it’s really important that we emphasize here that these cameras are not being monitored in real-time, but also that they don’t move and they don’t collect sound,” Farmer says. “And that people’s rightful concerns around privacy are to my satisfaction at least being mitigated with what staff have brought forward.”
Farmer also asked if there is a “threshold of crime severity” in the policy that would need to be met for police to access video?
Simmonds says no, but “generally it’s not going to be accessed for anything somebody might think is off-base. The police certainly won’t be accessing it unless something warrants their request … it wouldn’t be looking at illegal parking or garbage collection or the misuse of stuff like that. Unless there was a complaint and it’s compliance driven to enforce that way.”
The city clerk added: the policy allows for video to be stored for 14 days, and there is a requirement that a “law enforcement investigation is being undertaken” before surveillance footage can be accessed.
Simmonds’ report says staff reviewed a “great deal of information” about the use of video cameras and the results are mixed regarding the direct impact on crime rates.
“While some studies suggest reducing certain types of crimes, others argue that determined criminals can adapt to the presence of cameras,” Simmonds explains.
But the city manager says the “success” of a video surveillance program may also hinge on public perception.
“Suppose residents and visitors feel safer due to the presence of cameras. In that case, it can positively impact the city’s reputation and potentially lead to economic benefits, such as increased tourism and business activities,” Simmonds says in his report.
Deputy Mayor Scott Greig says installing cameras downtown is something the city needs to do.
“If you want to have a viable downtown, you have to make people feel comfortable. Period,” Greig says.
*Editor’s note: This story was updated from an earlier version to add more information and commentary from council’s meeting Monday.