Cameras are watching downtown Shreveport to help discourage, reduce crime
On a bright sunny Friday afternoon, Shreveport employees from the Real Time Crime Center setup the first cameras that will be used to monitor the streets of Downtown Shreveport.
Keith Hansen, Shreveport's chief technology officer said there's was a "great need" in downtown after a few doors were smashed recently.
Hansen's team got to work immediately and was able to receive some equipment from the Shreveport Police Department. Chief Wayne Smith gifted the Real Time Crime Center with the cameras Friday morning and that afternoon the team was placing them on light poles.
"There will be some minor changes we do over time on these but these are our very first appointments because it's so simple for us to get power up in the city," Hansen said.
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These 12 cameras will be monitoring the 600 block of Texas Street 24 hours per day. That footage will be fed directly to the real time crime center.
This is just the start Hansen said, "I am going to be dedicating about $50,000 out of our ARP funds to build out roughly about 50 camera systems on poles dedicated to downtown. Over the next 60 days you're gonna see a lot more cameras come through downtown."
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Cameras are making an appearance in Downtown Shreveport
