LAPD unveils surveillance cameras in west San Fernando Valley

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Sixteen new eyes are watching for crime in the west San Fernando Valley in the form of mobile cameras.

The 16 wireless cameras with the ability to be redeployed depending on crime trends will help identify criminals, said Jessica Tarman Nassour, spokeswoman for Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine.

The cameras can provide facial recognition at distances of up to 600 feet and are currently up and running. They were expected to be unveiled at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

“Councilman Zine partnered with the business community to give the LAPD another tool to deter illegal behavior and help identify vandals, burglars and other criminals,” Tarman Nassour said in a statement. “While the system will be monitored routinely, it can also help detectives identify criminals after a crime has been committed.”

The cameras cost $680,000. The money was reallocated for the project in March 2010, Tarman Nassour said.

The LAPD’s West Valley and Topanga divisions each received eight cameras. Each station will be able to view live feeds and can keep footage for five years.

Of the LAPD surveillance camera systems that are located throughout Los Angeles, this is the only system in which the video signal is transmitted wirelessly through 3G and 4G technology.

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