May 28, 2009
Huntington Using Surveillance Cameras
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Cameras have popped up in several downtown Huntington locations. Previously, Huntington City Council approved the purchase of 9 cameras for Harris Riverfront Park as well as the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. The Huntington Parking Board brought 16 for the parking building opposite the Arena.
Charles Holley, director of planning and development, explained to HNN that the cameras will be expanded to Fourth Avenue particular “trouble spots” and “hot spots” that we have.
“We’ll be expanding the wireless camera system to Fourth Avenue,” Holley said. “We have cameras on order that will be at Fourth Avenue and Tenth Street. We’ll expand down toward the university. By the end of this year or early next year, we intend installing them around Hal Greer Boulevard.”
Holley stressed the cameras will be used to keep a look “on the bars and any other trouble spots. We’d like to get some in the near future on Fourth Avenue and Eighth Street at the parking lot. There’s some issues there at night.”
Due to the wireless accessibility, scenes from the cameras will be available to anyone on the city’s network that has permission. That means that police --- including those in squad cars --- can access them from their car laptop. “If you’re at City Hall, police station , fire station, you can see the cameras.” Holley is unsure whether they could be accessed from any out of town locations, since access to the city network is required.
He suggested that the future might hold a few public webcams “with the pan, tilt , zoom. A lot of places have those where events are going on. The public would also be eyes for the city.”
Holley said that HRFP allowed for a little experimentation and tweaking of the camera positioning. “We’re satisfied with it, now we want to start expanding out of the park in to the rest of the city.”
The same camera have the capability for wireless internet use, but the cost factor is unresolved. In other words, the city likely would not be providing free service such as at certain restaurants.
“Different antennas on our wireless nodes will send out a wireless internet signal. With a laptop you could go there and have access. But, it is not free for the city to operate that. Our goal is to get the cameras; we’ll have the internet capability in the near future if we want to use it.”
He described it as cost effective for the hardware, but expressed concern about “the ongoing cost to have [access] to the service [internet]. It’s not free to the city and right now we have not come up with any way to fund it.”
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Huntington Using Surveillance Cameras
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Cameras have popped up in several downtown Huntington locations. Previously, Huntington City Council approved the purchase of 9 cameras for Harris Riverfront Park as well as the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. The Huntington Parking Board brought 16 for the parking building opposite the Arena.
Charles Holley, director of planning and development, explained to HNN that the cameras will be expanded to Fourth Avenue particular “trouble spots” and “hot spots” that we have.
“We’ll be expanding the wireless camera system to Fourth Avenue,” Holley said. “We have cameras on order that will be at Fourth Avenue and Tenth Street. We’ll expand down toward the university. By the end of this year or early next year, we intend installing them around Hal Greer Boulevard.”
Holley stressed the cameras will be used to keep a look “on the bars and any other trouble spots. We’d like to get some in the near future on Fourth Avenue and Eighth Street at the parking lot. There’s some issues there at night.”
Due to the wireless accessibility, scenes from the cameras will be available to anyone on the city’s network that has permission. That means that police --- including those in squad cars --- can access them from their car laptop. “If you’re at City Hall, police station , fire station, you can see the cameras.” Holley is unsure whether they could be accessed from any out of town locations, since access to the city network is required.
He suggested that the future might hold a few public webcams “with the pan, tilt , zoom. A lot of places have those where events are going on. The public would also be eyes for the city.”
Holley said that HRFP allowed for a little experimentation and tweaking of the camera positioning. “We’re satisfied with it, now we want to start expanding out of the park in to the rest of the city.”
The same camera have the capability for wireless internet use, but the cost factor is unresolved. In other words, the city likely would not be providing free service such as at certain restaurants.
“Different antennas on our wireless nodes will send out a wireless internet signal. With a laptop you could go there and have access. But, it is not free for the city to operate that. Our goal is to get the cameras; we’ll have the internet capability in the near future if we want to use it.”
He described it as cost effective for the hardware, but expressed concern about “the ongoing cost to have [access] to the service [internet]. It’s not free to the city and right now we have not come up with any way to fund it.”
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