A non-profit organization has made it clear that the security of downtown Syracuse’s workers, inhabitants and visitors must be protected.

The Downtown Committee of Syracuse proposed adding 10 surveillance cameras to several spots in the city at the Syracuse Common Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting Tuesday evening. The added cameras would increase security for approximately 3,000 residents.

If the Downtown Committee’s proposal is passed more than 40 cameras including the police department’s existing network, would monitor the city.

New cameras would be installed by this summer and would be positioned in high traffic areas, including Salina, Jefferson, Warren, Clinton and Walton streets. Exact locations have not been yet announced.

But before the cameras are installed, critics say Syracuse’s crime rates need to be assessed.

“If we are going to place people under surveillance in this city we need to justify it based on patterns of serious criminality that put people at risk and I don’t see that in the downtown area,” said Barrie Gewanter, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Central New York chapter.

A small number of Syracuse residents attended the meeting, including property developers, restaurant owners, police officers and business owners.

Attendees raised concerns about criminal activity, drug use and aggressive panhandlers. Ed Koolakian, who has lived in downtown Syracuse for three years, said the cameras will be a positive addition downtown because of all the criminal activity.

To prove his point, Koolakian said he witnessed a pregnant woman who was downtown nearly overdose on drugs. He said she had to be taken to the hospital.

Councilman Jake Barrett raised questions regarding how long the footage would be archived and who would have access to view the footage.

In a statement, the Downtown Committee’s executive director Merike Treier said that the purpose of her group’s efforts was to maintain a high quality of life in the area. The organization wishes to encourage more investments in the area by providing officers with ample resources to reduce crime, Treier added.

“The proposed surveillance camera program is a proactive approach to ensuring that downtown Syracuse remains one of the safest neighborhoods in Syracuse,” she said.

The committee has also cited a survey of 500 people who were asked their preferences on the installation of new cameras. Of those surveyed, more than 80 percent said they support the added security measures.

Pamela Hunter, chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee, oversaw the installations of the city’s first surveillance cameras on the Near Westside in 2011. Since then, she said, neighborhood associations and other groups have been clamoring for similar measures to keep their homes safe.

Although Hunter said she understands the reasons for their demands, she is wary of overusing cameras to deter crime or identify perpetrators.

“While I am not interested in a police state, ensuring the safety of our residents and those that work and visit the city is paramount,” she said. “We need to ensure we identify and implement viable solutions to achieve this goal.”

Neighborhoods that have implemented surveillance cameras have been successful in lowering crime rates. According to the Syracuse Police Department’s report, the Near Westside has seen a drop in burglaries, trespassing and reports of gun violence since the cameras were installed.

Opponents of the proposal are not convinced that the area’s crime levels make such security options necessary.

Said Gewanter: “The reality is what cameras do is they help police investigate crime after it occurs. They have no deterrent effect on crime and we still haven’t answered the question what pattern of crime are we looking at.”

— Contributing Writer Hannah Wagner contributed reporting to this article.

Published on March 19, 2014 at 1:06 am