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The city of Syracuse will purchase and use additional Criminal Observation and Protection System cameras over the next three years after Syracuse Common Council appropriated funds for the cameras.

The initiative, proposed by Mayor Ben Walsh on Sept. 2, is designed to aid in the investigation and prosecution of crimes that happen in the cameras’ pilot areas, according to SPD’s website, with research showing cameras have a deterrent effect on criminal behavior. 

“COPS cameras help us get criminals off the streets,” Walsh said in his release proposing the funds increase. “With (American Rescue Plan Act) funding, we will have more flexibility in the placement of new installations and in the upkeep of the current network of cameras. With this funding, we can make our neighborhoods safer.” 

A Syracuse Police Department report listed 350 cameras currently operational in the city of Syracuse.

The report lists six of these cameras that the city installed as “SU-linked,” with the below locations:

• Madison Street at University Avenue
• S Crouse Avenue at Waverly Avenue
• Ostrom Avenue at Waverly Avenue
• Ostrom Avenue at Clarendon Street
• Clarendon Street at Maryland Avenue
• Redfield Place at Maryland Avenue

Signed into law by President Joe Biden in March, the ARPA provided relief for the continued impact of the pandemic on the economy. 

The city of Syracuse received $123 million in pandemic aid, which Walsh initially planned to use as a basis for a strong economic recovery.

Shantel Guzman | Asst. Digital Editor

In its Sept. 13 meeting, the Common Council passed the initiative to spend some of the funds on COPS cameras over the next three years.

The cameras that have already been installed are a helpful tool for the police to monitor criminal activity in the city, SPD spokesperson Sgt. Matthew Malinowski said.

Most cameras were placed in areas with a high volume of crime, Malinowski said.

“(The cameras) have been hugely beneficial, whether it’s preventing crime … directing officers to the right location or locating suspect information,” Malinowski said. “It’s really been in all stages of a crime that they’ve been useful.”

The COPS initiative has been ongoing throughout the past few years. In 2010, nine cameras were introduced on the Westside of Syracuse. In 2014, 16 more were introduced on the Northside. 

SPD plans to expand the program in the future with the new funding, pending future results, Malinowski said.

Published on September 29, 2021 at 10:32 pm

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2