Baltimore County plan would put security cameras on public property

Baltimore County plan would put security cameras on public property

Jaime Malarkey
The Examiner
Wednesday October 24, 2007

Baltimore County police officers may soon be able to use hidden security cameras to monitor busy intersections, parks and schools from their cruisers miles away, under a plan officials are “actively exploring.”

Councilman Kevin Kamenetz on Monday called for the expansion of mandated video surveillance in shopping center parking lots to include other public property. He announced the proposal from Hunt Valley Towne Center, where helmet-wearing security guards on Segways are visible warnings for would-be shoplifters and other criminals.

But it’s the images captured on security cameras disguised as lampposts that are the most effective crime-fighting tool, the Pikesville Democrat said.


“I’m not advocating a city-like system,” Kamenetz said. “We’re not interested in the blue plate special lights. We’re not interested in showing off the existence of the cameras.”

Digital, Internet-based systems like Hunt Valley’s provide clearer images that can be monitored on cell phones, laptops and personal digital assistants in real time, miles away. Anyone with access to the password-protected images can remotely control the movement of cameras to, for example, follow a suspect through the parking lot, or zoom in on a license plate, said Henry Tyrangiel, president of Pikesville-based Computer Management Systems, which installed the system.

The system has its technological quirks, however. Tyrangiel had difficulty accessing images on his digital planner Tuesday, citing poor cell reception. And police officials said funding could be an obstacle.

“It could be a very good idea for Baltimore County,” said police spokesman Bill Toohey. “It looks promising, but we don’t yet have the official stamp of approval.”

Kamenetz, who in February 2005 authored first-of-its-kind legislation requiring all major county shopping centers to have video surveillance in public parking areas, said he’s preparing applications for $300,000 in federal grants that could help launch the program. Tyrangiel said the cameras cost between $4,000 and $6,000 each.

County Executive Jim Smith has scheduled a meeting with Kamenetz to discuss the proposal, according to spokesman Don Mohler, who called the plan “interesting.”