Peekskill Budgets for Public Surveillance Cameras

Surveillance cameras played a part in catching a suspect involved in a brutal beating that took place on May 15, 2010. On that night Julio Serrano was walking home when four young men chased him into a vestibule, and beat him to near death.

“Cameras were instrumental in that case and we have always thought (more cameras) would give us the extra edge,” Peekskill police officer and director of the Peekskill's Office of Emergency Management Sean Echols said.

The video from the building where Serrano was beaten helped police find the fourth suspect in that assault. Now all four men have been convicted and will serve five to twenty years in state prison. Serrano is still recovering from the assault, which has left him with brain damage, and several broken bones.

Earlier this month, Peekskill police presented the City Council with a proposal for a camera surveillance system that they say could help deter and solve crime. The Council has now allocated $61,000 in the police department budget for the system after a long discussion with Echols and Police Chief Eugene Tumolo at its Nov. 7 meeting.

During that meeting, Echols gave a presentation on surveillance system and said the Department hopes to install 10-15 cameras in about 10 to 12 locations throughout the city. The locations are not final, but the proposal suggested cameras on the 900 block of Main St., the 10 block of N. Division St.,the intersection of Park and Main streets and on Railroad Avenue.

Some members of the council were skeptical while others were supportive about the system’s effectiveness and necessity. The Mayor and Councilwoman Drew Claxton emphasized that cameras are needed in parking garages. The council also asked for assurance that the data could not be hacked or leaked, and that the public would be protected. Echols said police would follow operating procedures created by the ACLU and the data purges itself automatically every 35-40 days.

“We have a very strict policy in place through our standard operating procedures in our police manual,” Echols said. “Our plan is to ensure civil liberties of people – no one wants to be watched on camera,” Echols told Patch.

During his presentation Echols also explained that the city already has cameras installed at various Peekskill Housing Authority buildings, at 951 Main street and Wesley Hall and that cameras have helped them solve crimes like reckless endangerment in Dunbar Heights, a criminal possession of a weapon, shots fired at police and a first-degree manslaughter case.

He also said that the new technology now makes such systems much more affordable and, in addition to their help solving and deterring crime, they can help the city monitor traffic patterns and crowds. He said many private businesses install their own systems and a public system would have a positive triple-down effect on small businesses that can’t afford their own.

Following the presentation the council questioned the planned locations for cameras and Chief Tumolo explained that is something that can be changed and discussed before anything is implemented.

The council debated about the use of cameras over police officers and how the two would work together. Mayor Mary Foster said that the challenge is that the technology is a tool that can be used effectively, but that there needs to be a broader conversation on how the city best employs its police resources.

“I don’t see cameras as a trade-off for bodies,” the Mayor said. “Physical presence of our officers are also a deterrent for people.”

The group also discussed how cameras can help business owners feel more confident that their businesses would not be vandalized. Councilman Joe Schuder explained that outside perceptions are important and cameras can help make outsiders feel safer in Peekskill.

The conversation ended with the Mayor and council members emphasizing the importance of creating a strategic plan to combine human and technological policing.

The police department is currently seeking grant money to help fund the surveillance system.

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