In
a recent broadcast interview with Bexley police chief Larry Rinehart,
Bexley Public Radio senior correspondent John Matuszak asked about
property theft in Bexley. The chief reported that during calendar year
2008, there were more than six hundred property thefts in Bexley. In the
Monday morning Dispatch newspaper, the chief is quoted as describing
Bexley as "a city in peril" because of this property crime.
A
two hundred dollar bicycle stolen from a Bexley garage isn't a peril
for the city but the editorial collective understands the chief's point.
Six
hundred thefts, mostly petty thefts, is a large number for sure but not
significantly different from the property crime frequencies in Dublin,
Gahanna, Upper Arlington, Westerville and Worthington.
For
sure, the dollar value of stolen Bexley property is greater than these
other suburbs because, well, it's a matter of quality and taste.
Sperling’s
Best Places publishes crime rates in American cities on a scale of one
(low) to ten. Dublin, Gahanna, Upper Arlington, Westerville and
Worthington are rated at eight and Bexley alone is rated at nine. Still
all of these communities including Bexley are in the same fourth
statistical quartile.
If
the average theft involves stolen property valued at $500, there is an
economic impact of $300,000 each year on Bexley residents. If the
average is $2,000, then the impact is $1.2 million. If damage to door
frames and windows averages $1,100, there is an additional $660,000 in
economic loss to residents in the community.
Those
dollar amounts help to set a range for how much money might be spent
prudently to respond to the problem of property theft.
Equipment
needs might be eighteen network digital recorders (at $900 each), one
thousand infra-red digital night video cameras ($700 each), connecting
cables for each camera and installation ($350 each) for a total of
$1,066,800. Operations, staffing and repairs will add another $180,000
each year. AEP, Verizon and AT&T will want some compensation
when the best camera location is on a utility pole.
Bexley
police chief Larry Rinehart is promoting the formation of neighborhood
block-watch teams in response to the number of property crimes suffered
by Bexley residents.
The
Bexley Public Radio editorial collective wonders whether neighborhood
block-watch volunteers can be assisted by video cameras.
Currently,
video cameras are used in some Bexley retail stores, banks and
residences. Should video cameras be installed in all commercial
locations in Bexley? Should video cameras be required at all residences?
Should the city install cameras in all of the alleys and along all of the streets?
How
should installation be prioritized? Does the Bexley police department
analyze property theft by location? Does the police department know
which neighborhoods have the highest frequency of property theft? Should
frequency of theft be used to prioritize installation?
Does
the police department know how many businesses and residences use video
cameras? Does the police department have a map of Bexley that shows
what views are currently recorded. Banks, CVS and carry-out convenience
sores obviously use video cameras currently.
Should
Bexley adopt saturation coverage by digital video cameras as part of
its response to unacceptable levels of property theft?
Do
Bexley residents really want video cameras recording vehicular and
pedestrian movement in the neighborhoods? What happens to privacy in our
neighborhoods? Is this too much a Big Brother proposal?
Who
should own the cameras, computers and discs recording digital data?
Should the city own them?. Should the property insurers that carry the
property risks in Bexley own the equipment? Should a Bexley property
owner cooperative be formed to own the equipment? Should ownership be on
a block by block basis?
Installing video cameras everywhere in Bexley sounds like a good stimulus public infra-structure program.
Listener thoughts are welcome. Email to wcrxlp@yahoo.com.
Contribute to Bexley Public Radio now!!!
This WCRX-LP editorial collective comment was first published February 15, 2009.
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is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.
Text is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio
Editorial collective.
Editor's note. In the six years since this report was broadcast on WCRX-LP the use of video cameras and other security devices in Bexley residences has sky-rocketed.
Editor's note. In the six years since this report was broadcast on WCRX-LP the use of video cameras and other security devices in Bexley residences has sky-rocketed.
