SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - The City’s 74 crime cameras are running on low bandwidth — rendering them practically useless in court cases — because the Department of Emergency Management doesn’t have enough storage capacity to retain high-quality footage, city officials said.

Footage has helped only in the prosecution of two crimes despite police having pulled 78 different clips since the inception of the program, police Chief Heather Fong told the Police Commission on Wednesday night. She said police have been working with The City’s information technology department to adjust the focus of the cameras.

The City’s technology director, Richard Robinson, said the digital cameras are capable of a much higher frame rate, but because of the limitations on storage capacity due to a “small budget,” they run at a much slower speed. He added that each camera costs an average of $16,000 to install and maintain.

But the cameras help in other ways beyond prosecuting in court, according to police Lt. Ernie Ferrando of the gang task force. He said the department often gets leads and knows where to deploy officers using the tapes. He did admit, however, that there were issues with the clarity of the footage.

“We need cameras that we can see better with, obviously,” he said.

When the last batch of cameras was approved in January 2007, commissioners called for an evaluation from the Mayor’s Office after a year. That report is still pending and City Administrator Ed Lee apologized for the delay, promising a report, conducted by a UC Berkeley research group, on March 20.

Commission members suggested that the District Attorney’s Office, the public defender’s office and even jurors should play a part in any report evaluating the cameras.

But Commissioner David Campos, who voiced concerns about the cameras a year ago despite voting to approve them, said waiting for a report when there are questions related not only to the effectiveness of the cameras, but of privacy concerns as well, is a bad idea.

“We should consider shutting them off until we know for sure if they’re working,” he said.

bbegin@examiner.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

7:20 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "City�s crime cameras shortsighted"

In the know said:
The use of cameras is not only dependent on location, but the people using the system, the quality and reliability of the device storing the images, as well as the maintenance of the system. This system has been in operation reliably or several years and it is maintained. The news that doesn't get out, because it's not contriversial, is that in fact the system DOES work. It's caught criminals in the act of non-violent and violent crimes, child abductions etc. and reduced the man-effort to find and prosecute criminals. So don't assume you know everything and that the ACLU knows what the heck they are talking about. As usual, they simply stand on their "no big brother" pedestal spouting out the mouth.. that's all they do! Light reduces crime.. sure does, but EVERYTHING else counts too. there is no one solution. So get with it people. It's not a waste of money unless the people controlling the system don't use it and the Pittsburg PD are steadfast in it's usefulness.

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5:40 AM MST on Thu., Mar. 27, 2008 re: "City�s crime cameras shortsighted"

Jon said:
Without wishing to state the obvious, there may be a very good reason why the existing surveillance cameras have not performed as required. It would be unwise to simply assume that the system has been correctly designed, installed and operated, when this news report clearly suggests otherwise.

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10:21 AM MST on Fri., Mar. 21, 2008 re: "City�s crime cameras shortsighted"

Examiner Reader said:
Security cameras have not managed to STOP anything they've been installed for along the way. They didn't stop IRA bombings in London, they didn't stop the bombings at the Madrid train station. They haven't stopped robberies in convenience stores or gas stations. People still dash across national/international boarders and use execssive speed or run red lights on the roads, to name a few things. You name it and the cameras didn't STOP it. An argument might be made for their ability to LIMIT such actions.

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9:23 AM MST on Fri., Mar. 21, 2008 re: "City�s crime cameras shortsighted"

logicbomb said:
So the police are against the cameras, and the civil liberty groups are against the cameras, and the criminals keep on committing crimes despite the cameras. Discontinuing this program, according to its status quo, is a no-brainer.

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1:37 PM MST on Wed., Sep. 5, 2007 re: "Cities pursue cameras to stop crime, but results are mixed"

Examiner Reader said:
Cameras can't catch criminals, cameras can't stop a crime in progress, and cameras don't deter criminals who know they will not be convicted, not earn a long sentence or not be eligible for the death penalty. The only solution to crime is to eliminate violent criminals swiftly and permanently, preferably via execution, but life sentences are okay provided they stay in prison until the die.

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12:37 PM MST on Wed., Sep. 5, 2007 re: "Cities pursue cameras to stop crime, but results are mixed"

Smile! said:
As of today, 213 people have been murdered in Baltimore. We have many cameras. Want safety? Get out of the city--whatever city you're in.

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12:34 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 20, 2007 re: "Crime cameras remain a dicey issue in S.F."

Gretchen said:
I find the headline for this article: "Crime cameras remain a dicey issue in SF" very intriguing. As a resident in the Mission district I attend monthly community meetings at the Police Dept and almost every meeting someone brings up a request for more cameras in more locations. The police department repeatedly tells us it can't be done due to the trial period, the cost, the process, yadda, yadda, yadda. So here's the question: If the public wants the cameras, and the only complaints about "civil liberties" are from a couple members of the Board of Supes, why is the use of cameras portrayed as a "dicey issue"? Isn't it more of a "Progressives prevent crime abatement by protecting civil liberties of crooks" issue? We read articles and comments about "police not doing their job" but we never seem to read articles about "Supes putting up roadblocks to police doing their job." Please tell McGoldrick that he doesn't speak for the citizens of the Mission district - we want cameras

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