Councilman Ken Harris is championing a bill in the City Council that would equip every school in the Baltimore City Public Schools System with security cameras. The cameras are justified by statements like:
“We have to do something to show that we care about our children and that we want them to feel safe so that, knock on wood, something like what happened in Columbine or Virginia Tech doesn’t happen [here].” [Councilman Ken Harris]
And assumptions like:
“It can be assumed that most children will not step too far out of line if they believe they are likely to be caught.” [Baltimore City Public Schools Police Chief, Antonio Williams]
These statements are completely off base and are not supported by facts. A recent Baltimore Examiner article reports that out of the city’s 197 schools, 53 currently have cameras monitoring hallways and stairwells. The Baltimore School Police found that in the 11 most recent schools that received cameras; six schools reported a decline in crime, three reported no change, and two saw an increase in crime.Â
Without strong and consistent findings related to the success of security cameras in Baltimore schools, this legislation represents a severe misappropriation in funding. Councilman Harris reports that placing cameras system wide will cost 8 – 10 million dollars. That’s 8 – 10 million dollars that won’t be spent on mentoring groups, afterschool programs, or youth development efforts like this one at Douglass High School in West Baltimore that will run out of funds by the end of this year.Â
This rush to surveillance, however, isn’t new. Baltimore City spent $10 million dollars on the infamous “blue light cameras” that have yet to prove that they actually reduce crime on a level worthy of the investment. Anyone that lives here knows that the cameras may have isolated incidents of success, but by and large it was a wasted investment that produces grainy pictures that can’t be used in court or simply move the crime traffic around the corner where the lens can’t reach.
We can’t “monitor” our way out of the crime problem in the city nor the behavioral problems in some of our schools. Besides, cameras are more of an after the fact mechanism – not so much a prevention or even intervention mechanism.Â
The Baltimore City Council will consider this bill on Monday, April 23, 2007 5pm at City Hall in the Du Burns Council Chamber, 4th floor. (100 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore 21202) Those wishing to voice their opinion to their elected official on this matter should contact their councilmember.
Why spend money on cameras only to sit around and watch crime happen? Who’s doing something about the behaviors that these kids display?? You cannot stop an issue unless you figure out what the cause of the problem is. I’m so tired of society covering up the problems instead of actually DOING SOMETHING about them. Better yet… buy the cameras… the money isn’t being used productively anyway….
My problem is with Ken Harris’ underdeveloped thinking. He strikes me as a bean counter not a leader. We desperately need men and women of vision, intellect, and courage. It’s sad that our choices for President of City Council will likely come down to a bean counter and a zero-personality, misguided woman that thinks it’s a good idea to oust people from their homes as a result of a couple of noise complaints. Which is worse, Ken Harris or Stephanie Rawlings Blake? Seems to me, it’s a lose-lose proposition.
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