The Associated Press
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) - Elvis, Frank Sinatra and other celebrities often came here to escape public scrutiny.
Now the desert resort intends to watch more closely, turning its sights on residents and visitors with surveillance cameras installed and tested this week at popular tourist destinations.
Critics condemn the cameras as an invasion of privacy and a “Big Brother” tactic. Others, however, say the move will help merchants and tourists feel more secure.
More than a dozen cameras went up in the city’s trendy downtown shopping district, several popular parks and at the airport, Mayor Will Kleindienst said.
“This is a safety issue,” he said. “We do not see it as an invasion of privacy or attack on civil liberties.”
However, Palm Springs Councilman Ron Oden cautioned that the cameras will create a false sense of security and push crime from one area to another.
Police cameras have monitored public areas in Europe and some cities in the United States for years.
Palm Springs police haven’t seen a major increase in downtown crime but merchants have reported smash-and-grab robberies over the years.
And they still recall the 1999 daytime robbery of a jewelry store, when shots were fired while people sipped coffee at a cafe across the street.
The cameras are expected to go into use sometime this fall. The cost of installation was about $365,000.
Mounted on street lights, the cameras can pan 360 degrees and zoom close enough to read license plates or notice a bulge, possibly a gun, in a person’s jacket, said incoming police Chief Gary Jeandron. The cameras do not pick up sound.
Joy Meredith, president of the downtown merchants association, supports use of the technology.
But the cameras got a mixed reception from visitors.
“If it’s for the security of the country, that’s great,” said Salvador Aguirre, 67, of Monterey Park.
But Dale Lattimer, 57, of Frazier Park was opposed to the idea.
“I’d say no because it’s too much like ‘Big Brother,”’ he said.