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The City of Cambridge has put up 10 surveillance cameras in Galt as part of an initiative Mayor Doug Craig supports to make downtown safer.
“Overall it’s really to give a stamp of approval that in fact this is a safe place to be, and we are doing our best as a municipal council to make it that way,” Craig said.
The cameras aren’t switched on yet-they need signs put up first and must get the green light from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.
Phase I, which cost $200,000, covers buying the wireless cameras plus servers installed at City Hall.
“We are putting signs up that say that video monitoring is taking place, and it’s really to discourage any kind of illegal activity,” said Craig.
City staff worked with the downtown Cambridge BIA and Waterloo Regional Police Services to figure out where these cameras would help most.
“I went out personally with some city staff, and we did a walk around those areas to see where would benefit,” said Trevor Mc Williams, the business liaison officer for the City of Cambridge.
‘Always going to be a little bit controversial’
Out of the 10 cameras, four were placed on regional poles needing licensing agreements with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.
Six others went into parking lots; three are at Main Street intersections; one watches over Water Street near a new pedestrian bridge.
Graham Braun, Chair of downtown Cambridge BIA and co-owner of Monigram Coffee Roasters in Galt, hopes these will stop minor crimes like car break-ins or damage around local shops.
“I think that the installation of this kind of camera system is always going to be a little bit controversial. That said, I think that the net outcome is a positive one for the downtown in that it can lend a sense of security and assist with any investigations that the police might have if incidents do occur, although they are rare,” said Braun.
The cameras will record all day every day but won’t have live feeds monitored constantly, according to Mc Williams.
“We just don’t have the money or staff to do that, and it is not there for live viewing,” he said.
Inspector Mike Haffner from Waterloo Regional Police Services added they won’t watch live because “stringent legislative and privacy considerations” prevent it.
City plans policy for quick access when needed
If there’s an emergency where waiting on council approval or court orders isn’t possible-like child abductions or active shooter events-Haffner hopes police can quickly get access to camera footage.
“The examples I would provide are a child abduction or active shooter situation,” said Haffner. “This process is currently being developed with city representatives.”
The recorded videos stay on servers for 30 days before deletion. The city’s tech team handles managing these systems along with data storage rules.
The Deputy Clerk from Clerk’s Division reviews all police requests for footage access before anything’s shared, Mc Williams explained.
“This is a tool for the police, and it is to enhance public safety. That’s why we were doing it from the very first,” said Mc Williams.
The second phase will roll out later after testing transmissions from these initial cameras.
The city’s still figuring how many more cams they’ll add next time plus ideal spots.
One spot being thought about runs along Grand River Trail-from wooden footbridge down toward Mill parking lot.
Surveillance cameras in Galt will record round-the-clock. (Submitted by Tom Hackett.)
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