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Council authorizes acceptance of $50,000 DHS grant for boardwalk cameras
Summary
Council approved acceptance of a $50,000 Department of Homeland Security grant to help cover roughly one-third of the cost of installing about 18 cameras on the boardwalk; police said cameras aid proactive monitoring and helped with a recent water rescue.
The Long Beach City Council on Sept. 2 approved acceptance of a $50,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to support installation of cameras on the boardwalk.
Assistant/deputy city manager Phil explained the grant would cover approximately 30% of the project’s cost and that money for the project is already in the city’s capital budget; council will review the final purchase when plans return for approval. Police Commissioner Rich DePalmer told the council the grant funds would support roughly 18 new cameras (the department hopes to stretch the installation to 22 where feasible) and said the cameras are used both proactively and for post-incident investigation. DePalmer said the city’s boardwalk cameras aided first responders in locating a person in the water during the evening’s reported rescue.
During public comment, resident Joe Zauer questioned whether crime had increased enough locally to justify the cameras and asked for statistics; DePalmer responded that crime in Long Beach is down about 18% this year and emphasized the cameras’ role in crowd monitoring and evidence collection. Council members discussed privacy concerns but said the cameras have reduced liability and improved enforcement of municipal codes.
Council approved the item as part of a block vote including two other items. The resolution authorizes the city manager to accept the DHS critical-infrastructure grant; later procurement steps and final camera purchases will return to council for approval.
