Can cameras capture freeway shooters?

Last week's fatal freeway shooting of a 54-year-old woman on the 10 Freeway in Pomona still has authorities stumped. But what if the shooting had been recorded on one of the hundreds of cameras Caltrans uses to monitor traffic conditions along the freeway?   

The same question was asked three years ago by law enforcement officials following a rash of fatal highway shootings. But the state highway agency, after saying it would look into the issue, has made slow progress, the Daily News reports.

Caltrans only recently completed a test program and has yet to even begin seeking the millions of dollars needed to upgrade the existing cameras with higher-resolution models and add the ability to record and store those images.  Law enforcement is increasingly relying on security cameras to  monitor  public spaces despite the concerns of civil libertarians and questions about their effectiveness. The cameras used in the Caltrans test, for example, could not make out important details, such as license plate numbers.

But any additional information helps, especially given the difficulties in finding witnesses to freeway shootings, say law enforcement officials.

"If they started with select cameras, we would have a chance at getting something that we don't have now," said Paul Delhauer, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

--Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Rick Meyer / Los Angeles Times