By Greg Garrison
al.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Birmingham City School video cameras will soon feed video to Birmingham Police’s Real Time Crime Center.
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved an agreement with the Birmingham Board of Education to share video assets on school properties, including cameras located in the public areas of schools such as lobbies, building exteriors and athletic facilities.
“These feeds will be shared with the Birmingham Police Department in real time,” said City Council member Hunter Williams. “Keeping our students safe is the highest priority we have here.”
The school cameras add to the city’s ever-expanding network of cameras.
“A lot of the times we already have school resource officers deployed at sporting events or other large events, but if we have an emergency come up, having these camera feeds available to law enforcement could help save lives,” Williams said.
“They will be able to advise responding units exactly where they need to go, whether that’s a medical emergency or something else.”
The council also voted to add three additional mobile camera units that can be deployed to hotspots throughout the city, especially to monitor exhibition driving.
“These cameras will be deployed at large events and gatherings to help be the eyes for law enforcement,” Williams said.
“What we want to do is utilize these units outside of large events as well to deter criminal activity in certain areas. As you know, the city is now able to use cameras in prosecuting those who participate in illegal street racing, and this is another tool for the city to reduce that.”
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