Port Angeles installs more waterfront surveillance cameras
PORT ANGELES, Wash. -- Port Angeles is installing ten new state-of-the-art cameras along the city's waterfront in an effort to deter crime and collect evidence, officials said, bringing the number of surveillance cameras along the city's waterfront up to 28.
Longview-based Cascade Networks will install the new cameras and replace 18 existing one within the next two weeks, the Port Angeles Daily News reported. The cameras will cost $236,805 and are partially funded by a Federal Emergency Management Act. Port Angeles Police operate the waterfront cameras remotely at the police station. Officers can also tap into the wireless feed from their mobile devices or patrol cars.
Cascade Networks is the same company that installed West Seattle's currently inactive surveillance cameras.
The cameras will mostly focus on the city's ongoing waterfront and esplanade improvements, the Daily News reported. Some of the cameras can zoom in remotely, and swivel at the remote instruction of a police officer, police said.
Police Chief Terry Gallagher told the Daily News that the cameras will work as a great way to deter crime.
"the biggest advantage to us is that if an incident occurs, these cameras capture evidence," he said.
Cameras will hold tape for 30 days before it is erased. West Seattle's own cameras have faced steady opposition from area residents, saying active waterfront cameras violate a resident's civil liberties and privacy.