Police video surveillance cameras around town to be upgraded

Comings and goings of Palm Beachers and others will come under greater scrutiny with the Police Department’s plan to upgrade its video surveillance system.

Public Safety Director Kirk Blouin said the new cameras are technologically superior to those now in place and will enhance the department’s ability to investigate and solve crimes.

Some may view it as intrusive, he acknowledged. “I actually do understand why people have concerns.”

But “there is no need for Palm Beach residents to be concerned,” he said. Police will not monitor the new cameras, he said. They will only review tapes when investigating a crime.

“As a government, we’re very sensitive. We’re never going to overstep our bounds,” Blouin said.

West Palm Beach attorney James Green, who has taken cases for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the monitoring of private citizens in public places will have no end.

“We have long cherished our right to privacy,” Green said. “We’re not going to lose our privacy in one fell swoop. It’s going to be chipped away.”

Better technology is often used as justification to support increased surveillance, but, “at what point do we draw the line?” Green asked.

Security cameras in the private sector — at banks, condominiums, service stations, grocery stores, mall parking lots — and widespread use of smart phones, social media and personal computers have changed society’s landscape and the expectation of personal privacy, experts note.

Green said the younger generation has ushered in a new view of privacy — or the lack of it.

“Many in my generation [believe] our private lives should be private,” Green said.

Palm Beach police have eight cameras throughout town, including those that monitor bridge traffic and high-end, high-profile areas such as Worth Avenue.

Blouin did not identify the new cameras’ locations, citing security, but did say they will transmit from all entrances and exits of the town. The department will have a mix of cameras that alert police to cars reported stolen and that monitor a passing scene.

He said equipment now in place is outdated.

The town will get “high-tech, high-definition surveillance cameras that have the capabilities to provide our investigators great detail and investigative leads,” he said.

The town has considered an upgrade for about two years, Blouin said.

The camera system is out for bid, so the cost and installation date are not yet determined.

Some of the money will come out of the town budget, and the Palm Beach Police Foundation has gathered pledges of more than $100,000, Blouin said.

Comings and goings of Palm Beachers and others will come under greater scrutiny with the Police Department’s plan to upgrade its video surveillance system.