Sarasota public housing tenants being watched

Sarasota, Florida- Doris Mays has lived her entire life in Sarasota's public housing. "It's always been a safe place to live," says Mays.

But says things have changed. "We got high crime from breaking and entering to stealing and kids out of control."

That's why 57-year-old Doris says she's glad to see 22 video surveillance cameras going online at her complex. "I appreciate them putting them in. I hope it will slow down crime," says Mays.

But some tenants feel the cameras are an invasion of privacy. "Whatever they do, they feel being watched. That's not right," says Angie McCloud.

Captain Jeff Karr with the Sarasota Police Department disagrees. "This is not Big Brother. This is a tool. We're not peering into anyone's living room or behind their fence."

The cameras are monitored at the Sarasota Police Department. The video quality is as good as any high definition movie camera. It can zoom in more than four blocks away and has night vision. The cameras are supposed to deter crime, but if a crime is committed police, will know who did it. The cameras record 24/7 and the video is saved for 30 days.

"I think people who sell drugs will not do it when they see they're covered wall to wall with security cameras," says Bill Russell, director of Sarasota's Housing Authority.

City officials say if the cameras had been in place last month two British tourists may be alive today.

"People don't shoot people in front of police officers. If the cameras were there, they would have not committed the crime," says Captain Karr.

Housing Authority officials say the cameras are about protecting, not prying. Russell says, "We feel strongly our residents...should not have to live in a community that is not safe."

Russell says the cameras cost $325,000 but most of the cost is covered by a federal grant through HUD. Housing authority officials say in the short time the cameras have been up they've already seen a drop in drug traffic.

This article is reprinted from WTSP, 10 News Tampa Bay May 27, 2011 edition, by Isabel Mascarenas

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