CANTON, Ohio — The Canton Police Department is putting more eyes on the streets in the form of camera eyes to fight crime in the city.
The department purchased two surveillance trailers for its Neighborhood Safety Trailer Cameras program at a cost of nearly $82,000. A criminal justice grant covered most of the cost.
The trailers, which are equipped with two cameras each—including a license plate reader— first popped up at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival last week.
But this week, the trailers were moved to 3rd Street NW and Smith Avenue SW. The cameras are clearly marked with the words "Canton Police Safety Camera."
"What I'm really excited about is what they can do in neighborhoods to help people in those neighborhoods feel safe and understand that we have the ability to see what they're seeing," Canton Police Chief John Gabbard said.
As police move the trailers to different parts of town, officers are placing blue flyers on the front doors of nearby homes, explaining why the security system is being utilized.
"Locations for these cameras are generally selected based on complaints received about disturbances, suspicious activity and other neighborhood concerns," police said.
Canton Police said it owns multiple other stationary cameras positioned around town that tie into the Real Time Crime Center.
However, there are connectivity issues in some parts of the city, so the trailers can provide additional coverage in some areas that don't have effective cameras.
Corissa Archer, who lives in Northwest Canton with her husband and three kids, said there are frequent crime problems in her neighborhood, including shootings, drug deals, and robberies.
She welcomed the police surveillance trailer that was parked around the corner from her home this week.
"It gives me peace of mind. That way, I know if it's deterring them, they're not gonna want to come to the neighborhood," Archer said.
Civilian crime analyst Hannah Smith, who works in the crime center, said the cameras will allow analysts to potentially monitor movements if a crime occurs or track a suspect's vehicle with license plate readers.
"We can review it. We can download it. We can save it. It helps investigators with generating investigative leads, helping officers with situational awareness," Smith said.
The ACLU has expressed worries about the surveillance trailers. Gary Daniels, spokesman for the ACLU of Ohio, said the trailers might just push crime elsewhere.
He also expressed privacy concerns and said there are no statewide laws governing how the cameras could be used.
"How long is the data kept, and for what purpose? Who does it get shared with? Who has access to it?" Daniels said. "Guess what happens as the years go on? Mission creep sets in, and we start to see this technology being used for an ever-expanding amount of things."
Gabbard said he understands the privacy issues raised but stressed the trailers are overt, not hidden from the public.
"It only records public areas, areas that you would see in the public. There are no cameras ever directed into somebody's house or private areas," Gabbard said. "They're not set up to record any kind of audio, so we don't record conversations."
Archer said she's more worried about her family's safety than privacy.
"I don't think it's a privacy issue. I think it's a better issue for us because then we're more protected," Archer said.
Gabbard said the trailers are so new that he hasn't received any positive or negative feedback yet, but he welcomes input from the community.
"The only way it can deter crime is if we advertise how effective it is," he said. "These are the success stories we've had. It's going to take some time, but once those stories are out and once people understand this is an effective tool, I think it will have a deterrent effect."
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