Cleveland to Boost Security with LED Lights, Surveillance Cameras

The citywide effort, dubbed Safe Smart CLE Initiative, will enable police to brighten lights in trouble spots and monitor camera-covered areas in real time.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Apr 23, 2018

The city of Cleveland is planning to implement thousands of high-tech lights equipped with security cameras in a program aimed at making neighborhoods safer. The Safe Smart CLE Initiative will give police officers a way to brighten lights in troubled areas of the city while also monitoring camera-covered areas in real time.

Mayor Frank Jackson said the initiative would cost millions of dollars, but that it was well worth the money in order to raise the quality of life in the city. Jackson's administration sent legislation to City Council that would allow the city to sell bonds to raise money for the project. The Council is expected to introduce the legislation today.

The city intends to convert its 61,000 street lights to an LED system that can be controlled via remote control and will alert the city when a light fails. The LED lights will provide more illumination than the conventional street lights, improving visibility and clarity.

Interactive technology built into the lights will allow Cleveland Public Power to closely monitor the system. Alerts from the system, such as when a light goes out, will allow for more efficient maintenance. The lights are expected to last up to 20 times longer than the current lights and LED lights use less electricity as well.

The camera systems will be posted on the same light poles, all of which are owned by the city, although not every light pole will have a camera. Some light posts, such as those at intersections, will have multiple cameras positioned to look up each street in the intersection. The cameras will feed video images directly to the police Emergency Operations Center and to the district police headquarters.

The cameras are expected to be installed in several phases, focusing on the city's parks and recreation centers, major intersections and hot spots for crime. The cameras will provide surveillance at public-gathering spots and along major streets.

The city believes the better lighting will allow for better monitoring and with high-tech cameras covering high-traffic areas and hot spots, police will be able to more quickly respond to trouble.