Public Safety Surveillance Initiative

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program (Byrne Discretionary Program) helps local communities improve the capacity of local justice systems and provides for national support efforts. This project is authorized and funded through a line item in the FY 08 Congressional Budget. Funds should be used for purposes recommended by Congress.

The City of Gardena will develop a Public Safety Surveillance System that will provide the Gardena Police Department with live video from areas of high criminal activity that can be used as an investigative tool. The surveillance system will provide the following: 1) the ability for police personnel to observe suspicious activity and crimes-in-progress in zones covered by the camera; 2) the ability for monitoring personnel to watch for suspicious activity in public areas and parks; 3) the physical presence of the cameras, which to provide a deterrent to crime; 4) four cameras dedicated for portable use through wireless technology; 5) the ability to allow police investigators and authorized personnel to view a historical archive of video; 6) a wireless mesh network to send video feeds to the police facility and function as an information sharing tool between police vehicles; and 7) the ability for future expansion. The City of Gardena also plans to create partnerships with the community by integrating private camera systems into the public system.

NCA/NCF