With an understaffed police department, Selma has been considering installing surveillance cameras to grab video, photos and data to help solve crimes.
In the wake of the death of a police officer on Tuesday and weeks of complaints from Selma police saying the department could close if more officers aren’t added, discussion has heated up about the use of cameras to supplement for officers.
In their July 22 work session – five days before the officer’s killing – the City Council reintroduced talk of hiring a firm to install cameras. The cameras capture video and photos that can searched to apprehend suspects in various crimes or locate missing people.
The is considering using local provider Selcom or Alabama Power and put off a decision until they can hear from both.
The Selcom system would use SkyCop brand cameras produced by a Memphis-based security company. In a presentation to the city council in June, a SkyCop representative described the system as a “fulltime police officer on a pole.” The cameras transmit images to a central monitoring station where they can be watched, and images are saved if needed to investigate and prosecute a case. The cameras are connected to the internet via WiFi routers.
Some cameras can be enhanced to read license plates or to identify the location of gunshots.
The cost of the Selcom system is about $10,000 per camera, according to the presenters at the June work session.
Mayor James Perkins Jr., who has been an advocate of the system, said in June that with such a surveillance system, “Selma would be the shining light on a hill. This would be a big deal.”
“We are proving to the public that when we say that crime in our community is our first priority, we are putting action where our mouths are,” Council President Billy Young said at the July 22 work session. “Public safety is the No. 1 issue in the city of Selma.”
“This is not lip service,” he added. “This council has been working on public safety issues. Selma is doing what it needs to do.”
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