Lower Greenville community meeting on neighborhood video camera systems set

by Avi Adelman of Barking Dogs

A comment on the Greenland Hills Crimewatch blog has led to an informal agreement between VPNA, BelmontNA, Lower Greenville West NA and Greenland Hills NA to hold a meeting on the benefits and drawbacks of neighborhood video camera systems for crimewatch programs. It will also include a comparison of the benefits/drawbacks of using video surveillance systems with ENP programs operating in many neighborhoods.

The event is co-sponsored by Daily Crime Report, LLC and Omni-Watch Systems.

The public meeting will be held on Wednesday evening, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Vickery Towers. All neighborhood associations and their members in the Lower Greenville area are invited to the event. While Omni-Watch generally makes presentations to neighborhood associations on an individual basis, this is the first all-community meeting they are hosting.

Omni-Watch Systems has more than 20 neighborhood systems installed in the Dallas area, plus other communities around Texas. Their first system was installed in the Richland Park Estates near Richland College, and has resulted in a 100% drop in calls to 911 in less than two years. (see Dallas Observer story - "Are surveillance cameras the answer to rising crime East Dallas crime rates?")

Only those persons who pay installation and monthly monitoring fees can view the images (using a password protected access on the PC) in real-time, from a DVR or from the server. The wi-fi cameras are installed in alleys or at the key entry/exit points of neighborhoods, and do not invade anyone's personal privacy. You can see sample videos at Omni-Watch's YouTube site.

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