Fresno is on the verge of installing and implementing one of the most sophisticated video surveillance systems in the country. Fresno Police Department Captain Al Maroney says "I hope to have at least a ‘seed’ system operational before the end of calendar year 2006." The system Maroney is talking about would vastly increase video surveillance in this community with at least 256 cameras and the ability to connect with private sector cameras in locations like River Park, Fashion Fair, convenience stores, and other local businesses. A large part of the funding for this project will come from a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, administered by the County of Fresno.

The Fresno Police Department (FPD) plans to spend over a million dollars in the first phase of the project. Their vision is to have state of the art high resolution cameras interconnected with video surveillance cameras in businesses all fed into a central downtown location. When a crime takes place and a 911 call is received a camera in the area of the crime will be put on alert. The signal from that camera will be sent directly to squad cars in the crime scene area. The camera can be zoomed in and focused on the activity taking place. The responding officer can see, in real time, what lies ahead. Meanwhile, the entire incident is being recorded on a hard drive that stores the information at police headquarters. MORE