If all the kinks, technical issues and legal concerns are ironed out, there's a chance your Block Captain could be keeping an eye on the neighborhood via web cam in the future. Okay, I'll admit this scenario is still in the beginner stages of becoming a reality. But it could happen.
Right now, eight cameras are being installed along 24th Street in Kansas City. The live feeds can store video up to a month and are expected to help deter crime. The catch: police hope to get a lot of neighborhood involvement. The department will not have paid officers staring at the camera angles 24 hours per day, so they are making the video available to the public.
When the pilot program launches in the next month, police will broadcast the video feed at the city's East Patrol Division (27th and Van Brunt). Community leaders and block captains can check in with dispatchers, log onto station computers, and watch the action up and down 24th Street. Sergeant Patrick Rauzi, the officer in charge of the project, is very curious to see what kind of interest the open invitation generates.
Here's where it gets really interesting. Police are considering expanding the video feed to home computers. In this hypothetical situation, a block captain or community activist (who's been trained, screened, lectured, warned, etc.) would use a secure username and password to watch the surveillance from the living room. Rauzi says residents would have no control over the cameras, which can pan, tilt and zoom. He also adds the cameras are equipped with technology that blacks out windows and doors on homes. That would prevent Joe or Suzie down the street from spying on your dinner party. Police say there are still A LOT of details to hammer out before going this route. As you can imagine, it has the potential to open a huge "privacy" can of worms.
Stay tuned... but for now, just check out tonight's story at 10 p.m.
kath@nbcactionnews.com