NYC Housing Authority Announces Installation of Security Cameras in 31 Buildings
- By Sydny Shepard
- Jan 20, 2016
New York City has installed cameras in 31 public housing developments across the city, officials said at a press conference on Jan. 19.
The beefed up security comes as a big relief to residents who say they have lived in fear as bureaucratic arguments held up the effort to bring the buildings into the 21st century. Tenants of the public housing believe that the cameras will help to deter crimes in an otherwise crime-stricken area.
The long-stalled effort to put up the cameras was accelerated in June 2014 following the horrific stabbing of two children in the elevator of a Brooklyn housing project.
The latest security improvements were made thanks to $18 million in city and state funds.
In total, there are now nearly 1,000 cameras in 219 of the city’s 328 developments. That leaves roughly 33 percent of NYCHA properties without the added benefits that security cameras can offer.
The buildings that do come outfitted with cameras saw a rise in 2015 from 23 cameras to 75. They are installed in every elevator, at exits and entrances, staircases and even on the roof.
Although there has been a rise in security camera installments, there has yet to be a decline in violent crimes. There were 52 murders in public developments in 2015, up from the 50 the previous year.
About the Author
Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.