Smile, Uptown! You're on Surveillance Camera
Dallas adds 11 new crime cameras
By ELLEN GOLDBERG
Updated 7:54 AM CST, Wed, Oct 28, 2009
Uptown Dallas has joined Downtown and Fair Park as neighborhoods under constant video surveillance.
Dallas police have 11 new surveillance cameras trained on McKinney Avenue between Pearl and Blackburn streets.
“It’s just weird to know that someone is watching you,” Uptown resident Sydney Shows said.
The Uptown Dallas Public Improvement Project funded 11 video surveillance cameras on McKinney Avenue. The cameras give Dallas police officers a 360-degree view of McKinney Avenue, including the ability to pan and zoom their way through the popular retail and entertainment district.
“It's good, like, for peace of mind,” Uptown resident Ashley Long said. “But it could have its downsides, too.”
The cameras had to be pointed out to Lynn Mills, a West Village store manager who's been walking past them for weeks now without noticing them.
“From the business standpoint, I like it, because if someone doesn't want to be seen, they may not come to the area,” Mills said.
But personally, she said, “I hate it. I don’t want to be watched all the time."
But Austin Hoffman, who has been the victim of several crimes while living in Uptown, said he is thrilled about the new cameras.
“I have had my apartment broken into, my car broken into before -- all you can do to catch the criminals is a good idea," Hoffman said.
With the addition of the new cameras, Dallas police will be monitoring about 100 surveillance cameras citywide.
First Published: Oct 27, 2009 8:57 PM CST
You Might Like
You have 2000 characters left
