San Francisco Area Park Installs Security Cameras to Cut Crime

The City of Berkley, Calif. is installing surveillance cameras in San Pablo Park to decrease crime.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Mar 20, 2019

San Pablo Park in Berkley, Calif. is the oldest park in the city and features a recreation center, ball fields, tennis and basketball courts as well as playgrounds and picnic areas. The area surrounding the park is filled with $1 million single-story villas bungalows. Sounds like a utopia, but even these seemingly perfect areas are not invincible to crime.

The City of Berkley has decided to install surveillance cameras throughout San Pablo Park, a move that is in direct response to a spate of shootings, drug dealing and other crime in recent years. 

The new 17 cameras went live in early March, Officer Byron White, a spokesperson for the Berkley Police Department told the San Francisco Chronicle. The camera footage will be reviewed by the police and Berkley staff as needed to gather evidence in the event of a crime. Signage to mark that the cameras have been installed is currently in the works.

The cameras were part of a solution put together by police and parks officials after local residents packed into meetings at the park's rec center to urge officers to take action following recent shooting incidents. 

Berkley conducted an online survey in November about installing cameras in parks as a security measures. Of 240 respondents, 199 (or 82 percent) said they support the idea. While most residents who aded comments said they liked the idea, some wrote they were concerned about the "Big Brother" aspect of creating a surveillance network.

Residents believe the cameras will help to deter crime as well as help police in their search for suspects. Many hope that there are plans in the future to add cameras not only to the interior parts of the park, but along the perimeter as well.