The City of Orlando began monitoring the streets of downtown and Parramore with a “smart camera” system called IRIS this morning. This system was paid for by federal homeland security funds and aims to help police identify and hold criminals accountable for actions committed/ taped.
These cameras are already used in larger cities across the United States (like Boston) and in Europe to help deter unlawful activity in common crime areas (ATM’s, street corners, construction sites…etc.). There are plans to install close to 60 cameras in the upcoming weeks. The amount currently servicing downtown Orlando is 13.
These cameras will be in the core downtown area to start and only directed/pointed to public areas. Some people argue that this could be invasion of privacy but I believe if you’re in a public place…it’s just that, “Public” and means any actions can be watched or viewed by a 2nd party. Being proactive is the key to relinquishing crime before it happens. I am glad to see that the city is taking the initiative on this and understands that Orlando’s downtown sector is growing. Getting the word out about this will also help so I wanted to share this new with all of you folks out there that either live, want to live, or dream of living in a downtown condo in the near future. The street cameras will give you an elevated “peace of mind” that you are safe and measures are being taken to assure your safety.
