Prichard announces video program

PRICHARD, Ala. (WALA) - The City of Prichard has a warning for would be criminals.  Prichard officials said, “We’re watching you.”

The city launched a pilot program Friday with four cameras aimed at the streets.

Prichard Police Chief Jimmie Gardner hopes it will take a bite out of crime.

Kenneth Fairley has owned a business in Prichard for more than two decades.

In that time, he said he's been burglarized dozens of times.

He has a security system that helps, but it doesn't keep the bad guys from breaking the law.

"I have eight cameras around my business. And a lot of times, guys use hoods to hide their faces," said Fairley. "But it do help because, you know, I have caught guys. Because most time, they do not change clothes, and I was able to catch the people that broke into mine,” said Fairley.

Prichard hopes a pilot program using new video cameras will do a better job.

Mayor Ron Davis said cameras are up and going up all over the city, just like the one on Wilson Avenue.

Davis said the surveillance system could have come in handy just a few months ago when several fires were being lit to downtown businesses.

"If one of those buildings caught fire in downtown, we have an opportunity now. In the middle of the night, we can see vehicles or somebody and can go back and see who may have been out there during that period of time and what time of the day it was."

Right now, there are four cameras in Prichard. Three are aimed at the Snug Harbor Housing Community. It's an area at one time riddled with violence.  

Police said having the cameras record everything that goes on here, will help them combat crime.

"We got to take back our community. And crime is getting out of control, and it is because parents are not doing what they are supposed to be doing with their kids. So, if we got to raise them up in the streets, and if the parents are not going to watch them, we are going to watch them," said Davis.

The city said a business with existing cameras, such as Fairley's, can buy into the surveillance system.

But, officials were unable to pin down a cost.

"This is not about costs. This is about what this feature is going to offer in terms of protection for our citizens in this community. Because if we caught up in costs and what costs is alone and it outweighs the lives of our citizens, the lives of our citizens outweigh any costs we could ever come up with," said Chief Gardner.

Police can monitor the surveillance 24 / 7 from cars, laptops and the station.

Fairley said it sounds like a good idea and hopes it will make a difference.

The program is modeled after a similar one in Selma, Alabama.

The cameras are mounted more than 20 feet in the air.

Blackbelt Technologies installed the equipment and runs the program.

Davis said he would use his discretionary funds to keep the program alive if needed.

"We have funding that we can tap into when it comes down to capital improvements, and this will be considered a capital improvement as far the city is concerned," said Davis. "This is not going away."