Klopsch said if the city places cameras this year, it only would be in a few locations. He mentioned the Far Hills Avenue business district, Orchardly Park — which has suffered repeated vandalism — and a few other possible sites.
“We’re definitely not looking at putting a whole bunch of cameras all over Oakwood,” Klopsch said. “(Some of the crime) is not big stuff, and you do question, is it worth the effort and cost to put cameras up?”
Englewood and West Carrollton are among the local cities that already have camera systems, and Englewood Police Chief Mark Brownfield does not question the value, calling the city’s 28 cameras “a great benefit to the city.”
Another set of public eyes
Brownfield said Englewood’s cameras were installed for traffic purposes, and still provide valuable information on crashes, but now have many other uses.
Brownfield recounted a recent call from a Meijer store regarding a robbery suspect who had just left. While police were en route, a dispatcher followed the suspect across the parking lot on a city camera that she could pan in multiple directions from her station. The suspect was off Meijer property by the time police arrived, but the dispatcher led officers directly to him.
“We’ve actually used them more than we thought we would,” Brownfield said. “You can really manage the area in a smaller city like Englewood or Oakwood. I’m glad we have them, and I wish more people would use them.”
University of Dayton law professor Tom Hagel said cameras can be effective in solving cases, but there are limits on their ability to deter crime. He said drug dealers or vandals likely would just move their activities to other areas without camera coverage.
And while some say the growing number of cameras presents a privacy issue, Hagel said citizens legally have no privacy interest in any activity they expose to public view. He called it a social issue.
The cost of surveillance
“Society has to make a decision on how much of a intrusion we’re willing to put up with for a potential benefit,” Hagel said. “Some people think if we have cameras at every corner, you’ll solve every crime. But it doesn’t happen that way.”
Cost also is an issue, but Oakwood already has a city-owned fiber-optic network, so Klopsch said the cost of the first few cameras would be about $15,000, depending on the type the city chose.
“Chief Bebris is doing a bit more research and developing a plan, and then he and I will work together to find the funding for it and implement it,” Klopsch said.
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