Texas Beach Neighborhood Installs Security Cameras

A subdivision with public beach access in Galveston, Texas is beefing up security. The homeowner's association of Pirate's Beach has installed four security cameras to monitor who comes in and out of the neighborhood. Many of the homes in the neighborhood are vacation homes, which means they aren't always occupied by their owners.

Ron Pearrow, a neighborhood resident who was for the cameras, says it wasn't burglaries or break-ins that prompted the installation of the cameras, but more of a desire to keep an eye on things and possibly prevent any future incidents. Homeowners have seen an increase of beach-goers trespassing on private property.

Even so, Pearrow says homeowners aren't trying to prevent the public from taking advantage of the beaches, “Ninety-nine percent of the people who use the beach do so in a reasonable manner,” he told the Galveston County Daily News. “But there are people who don’t. The Open Beaches Act does not say you can park in a driveway, ask to borrow a beach towel or use someone’s shower."

If an incident were to take place in one of the private homes located in the neighborhood, homeowners may not discover it until weeks later, but with the cameras, police will have some added evidence to help them carry out an investigation.

Pearrow is insistent that the homeowner's association simply wants to protect their private property and not limit access to the beach. Two cameras were installed at Pirate's Beach's entrance and the other two were installed at nearby banks where people can also enter the neighborhood. The cameras are set up to catch images of everyone who comes and goes from the subdivision, as well as vehicle license plate numbers.

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Chicago Homeowner Links Cameras to Police Surveillance Center

After suffering over $3,700 in damages due to vandalism from local neighborhood kids, Charles Hill has become the first private homeowner in the city to directly connect his private surveillance cameras straight to Chicago's 911 emergency center. However, Hill is not the only one who is taking advantage of Chicago's unprecedented offer to connect privately owned cameras to the 911 emergency center which was made available two months ago.

Since the announcement nearly two dozen universities, businesses, colleges, and high-rise complexes have agreed to share their video with the Chicago Security Center. Most notably, DePaul University has elected to hook up at least 15 on-campus cameras due to its campuses being in the heart of residential and commercial districts.

DePauls director of public safetey, Bob Wachowski, had this to say about the security measures DePaul has decided to implement. "If something happens on a city street where we have a camera and the city has access to it, they can tell what they're sending first-responders into. . . they can see what the person is doing and describe it to first-responders."

This new network of public-private internet connections will transmit the fully encrypted video data that will not be compromised by any outside connections, a feat made possible by software used in Operation Virtual Shield.

Due to enthusiastic response in the first two months from residents and businesses alike in Chicago, City Hall is confident that hundreds of privately owned cameras will eventually be added to the city's network. If you are a resident or business owner and are considering installing a Chicago Camera Security System, consider contacting a Tech Travel Agent. Tech Travel Agents can help guide you in the right decisions about camera security and even install and network your cctv cameras.