I've noticed a camera on WestSide and Union for about a year but recently they have been putting one on WestSide and Lexington with what looks like a modem of some sort.
I thought they were gon install a new traffic light but instead this went up.
What exactly is that for, I def hope for all the crim and drug dealers but will they actually catch them and payoff $$$

PaulBellan-Boyer, 10/23/12 21:55

Quote:

jmiz wrote:
Do these cameras feed to the police station? Is it for traffic monitoring or pedestrian monitoring? Do the camera locations correspond to known trouble spots? Can footage be used by pedestrians in the event of a traffic accident? Are the cameras making up for the current/future lack of patrol officers?


Yes, they feed to the police station and according to JCPD they are monitored, although there are no banks of people watching every camera 24x7. They are used for both pedestrian and traffic purposes. I can't speak for downtown, but elsewhere they are used in known trouble/nuisance spots.

The cameras do not function as a replacement for patrol, since patrol officers generally do not camp out in one location - they patrol. The cameras help JCPD catch some things in real time, but I think provide more value as an investigative tool.

Can you get the footage? Interesting question. The JCPD could voluntarily choose to release footage, but probably cannot be compelled to if it pertains to "any criminal investigation or related civil enforcement proceeding." (Statutory exemption to Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 see summary of OPRA exemptions - PDF.)

For an incident which did not result in a criminal investigation, though, I'd say they probably should. I am not an attorney, nor do I follow OPRA cases. I'll bet someone has tried this and there's already precedent, but I was unable to locate it quickly.

Some police departments make provision for such requests - and even in a criminal matter the department would usually have discretion to release footage - so if you need it, ask.

PathH8Tr, 10/23/12 12:27 I believe it's naive not to ask questions. Why be so all trusting? We're paying for those cameras. We have a right to know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVyCEwrcl9o

JackieCruise, 10/23/12 11:05

Quote:
JerseyCityFrankie wrote: If your imagining an insidious underground bunker where scores of faceless watchers scan banks of television monitors, each with a live streaming feed from each of the hundreds of security cameras around town then I think you overestimate the budget for law enforcement here or anywhere.


But think of all the jobs the Healy administration could create by having such a bunker. Of course this would have to be controlled by the City Camera Monitoring Authority and chaired by one of our politicians that is "only" double dipping and needs a third job.

We would have to buy a building of course like the Parking Authority Building from one of our political friends at an inflated price.

Maybe if Mr Fulop and Mr Levin lose the next election, our "honorable" mayor could hook up Darth Levin with the job.

Sadly even thou I'm being sarcatsic, this is Jersey City and if it happened anywhere...it would happen here.

(of course not till after the election thou)

Frank_M, 10/23/12 9:54

Quote:
JerseyCityFrankie wrote:
You know what you need? A tinfoil hat! A bright shiny tinfoil hat will reflect the sun and cause so much glare Big Brother will no longer be able to add to the thick illegal dossier they are keeping on you


Foil hat? No thanks, I don?t suffer from paranoia. Would I publically object in a rational manner to modern trends in law enforcement under my own name if I did? You appear to be rather naive, however. I hope for everybody?s sake that you?re only still a teenager.

JerseyCityFrankie, 10/23/12 9:15

You know what you need? A tinfoil hat! A bright shiny tinfoil hat will reflect the sun and cause so much glare Big Brother will no longer be able to add to the thick illegal dossier they are keeping on you

Frank_M, 10/22/12 15:19

Quote:
JerseyCityFrankie wrote:
...I believe the more cameras the better since they are an amazing crime fighting tool. I reject the notion that these cameras somehow erode our civil rights.


You?re probably correct about their potential usefulness, but is easing the job of law enforcement a crucial goal of a free nation, or of a different kind of nation? Keep in mind that the policeman?s task could be made even simpler yet. Where will you draw the line? You probably don't engage in felonious behavior, but if you wait until you?re affected by overzealous enforcement to object, it will be too late.

JerseyCityFrankie, 10/22/12 14:05

It seams to me that 99.9 % of what the cameras catch and record on tape is unlikely to ever be reviewed by anyone. They are there in case a crime takes place and is caught on tape. Only then will the relevant tapes be viewed. If your imagining an insidious underground bunker where scores of faceless watchers scan banks of television monitors, each with a live streaming feed from each of the hundreds of security cameras around town then I think you overestimate the budget for law enforcement here or anywhere. And we all know the way the cameras are effective catching criminals mugging people ect.

user1111, 10/22/12 12:57

Cameras are going up everywhere not just downtown, there are cameras all up and down Richard, Garfield, Danforth, MLK and Ocean... Still not sure if they are monitored. The one's near the light rail are monitored, but not by JCPD but by the PAPD.

brewster, 10/22/12 12:37

McNair is bristling with cameras, yet they were utterly useless solving separate burglary & murder right across the street. Maybe they're obsolete hardware, but I think it's security theater.

JerseyCityFrankie, 10/22/12 12:09

"Downtown JC is looking a lot more like London."... I would be delighted if any aspect of Jersey City looked anything at all like London. And I believe the more cameras the better since they are an amazing crime fighting tool. I reject the notion that these cameras somehow erode our civil rights.

This thread was lost in the board upgrade. I had a saved copy.

Opened by jmiz, 10/22/12 11:48

The first one I noticed was on a traffic light on the corner of Marin and Montgomery. Since then, cameras have been added to Grove/Wayne and up Grand Avenue. I imagine many more are to come in and around downtown.

These aren't red-light cameras, they're security cameras. It's the white globe type with the darkened glass at the bottom that houses the camera.

Do these cameras feed to the police station? Is it for traffic monitoring or pedestrian monitoring? Do the camera locations correspond to known trouble spots? Can footage be used by pedestrians in the event of a traffic accident? Are the cameras making up for the current/future lack of patrol officers?

Downtown JC is looking a lot more like London. Keep your eyes out, or else someone will do it for you.