More neighborhoods to get crime camera systems

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Success in crime cameras in Sherwood Forest leads to other neighborhoods jumping on board.

More neighborhoods in Baton Rouge are looking into getting their own crime cameras linked to the Baton Rouge Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center.

“In our camera footage, you can actually see the person who is driving the vehicle when they pass the cameras. So, we have been able to use that successfully to prosecute criminals,” explains Gary Patureau Commissioner of the Sherwood Forest Crime District.

Patureau says they have seen success with the crime cameras linked to the Real Time Crime Center.

“We have been very successful at using homeowner video, say if it’s a porch pirate, and there are two people riding bicycles. We are able to go back and look at our camera systems and see where those people come in the neighborhood and so on,” adds Patureau.

80% of voters voted “yes” on December 10, 2022 to keep the crime cameras running in Sherwood Forest.

Sherwood Forest has a total of 17 cameras. Property owners pay $75 a year to keep the system running. In the future, that fee will increase in December of 2023. The cameras offer surveillance footage and a license plate reader connected to the National Crime Information Center. Due to the success here, more neighborhoods are considering the initiative.

“There are dozens of subdivisions that are moving in this direction. They either have cameras or they are upgrading their cameras. I know the neighborhood in Tara, they have cameras, but they are upgrading the cameras to this type of technology,” says Patureau.

Patureau says neighborhoods like Broadmoor, Windsor Place, Villa Del Rey, and Park Forest are jumping on board with the crime camera plan hoping it will keep other neighborhoods safe.

Now say your subdivision does not have crime cameras, but you have a personal camera on your home, you can connect it to the Real Time Crime Center through Connect Blue. Click here if you want to learn more.

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