VIDEO SURVEILLANCE ALREADY MAKING A DIFFERENCE, SAYS HIKIND

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE ALREADY MAKING A DIFFERENCE, SAYS HIKIND

“Protecting our community is our top priority.”

May 12, 2014—Numerous four-way surveillance cameras have now been installed in strategic locations throughout Borough Park and Midwood thanks to Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn). Unveiled just three months ago, Hikind’s extensive community security initiative will add 80 units that each contain 4 (four) cameras each for a total of 320 cameras to create a security blanket over the community—a virtual eye that will see what has occurred on the streets of the community in the event of a crime.

“In recent weeks, our community was shocked to learn of a potential kidnapping of two small children on one Shabbos, and then of an ex-Police officer spray painting swastikas and hate messages on another Shabbos,” Hikind said. “But the good news, in both incidents, was how quickly the Shomrim and the Police were able to respond to these incidents—and in both cases response times were enormously hastened because the crimes had been caught on surveillance cameras.

“Thank G-d, there are many private cameras in our community,” Assemblyman Hikind continued. “We also have the cameras that I had installed at our local subway stations some years ago. Now, with the additional 320 cameras that we will soon have fully installed in our community, every single one of us can sleep better.

“As I pointed out when I first secured the funding for this initiative, our community is often a potential target for attacks. Our new security-surveillance system will not only decrease the chances of outside attacks, but it also enormously enhances law enforcement’s ability to solve and prevent local crimes, as we have seen in recent weeks.”

Working with the NYPD and community leaders, Assemblyman Hikind’s office identified key locations throughout the Borough Park and Midwood areas that would offer the broadest surveillance coverage. These include commercial districts, schools and institutions, as well as residential areas. The area is bounded by 60th Street to McDonald Avenue, 9th Avenue to 20th Avenue in Borough Park, McDonald Avenue to Ocean Avenue, and Foster Avenue to Avenue R in Midwood.

As of the end of April, four-way cameras had already been installed at the following locations: