Surveillance Cameras Will Soon Be Installed Along Long Beach Boardwalk
LONG BEACH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Long Beach, Long Island has sand, water, the boardwalk and, pretty soon, a lot of cameras.
City leaders say the goal is to deter dog walkers, skateboarders and other scofflaws.
On the Long Beach boardwalk, dogs, skateboards and rollerblades are not allowed. The new surveillance cameras mounted overhead in lights and on poles will soon show police where the quality of life laws are being broken, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reports.
"It's always a question of privacy. However, I think it's a good idea," resident Jeff Gedacht said.
The city-wide security program not only expands with cameras on the boardwalk between Long Beach Boulevard and National Boulevard, but also enhances the so-called ring of steel license plate readers – to the tune of $260,000.
"An updated security system wouldn't be the worst thing to use taxpayer money on, but I don't think it needs to be the only thing," boardwalk patron Christian Borrelli said.
Others support the smart technology, saying cameras could help police spot problems or locate missing children and they're not used to spy on bathing suited boardwalkers.
"The information we use for public safety purposes – preventing things like vandalism and theft," Long Beach City Manager Jack Schnirman told McLogan.
The boardwalk surveillance will not result in police writing tickets for quality of life disobedience, but city officials say the presence of the cameras should serve as a deterrent.
They say it's already working with license plate readers in patrol cars and stationary cameras that can read 2,000 plates per hour.
Data from the boardwalk cameras and the plate readers will be used internally and erased.
"Off season, you should be able to have your skateboards and your dogs. Come the summer, when it's busy, then I understand," homeowner Beryl Smith said.
The plan is to add security cameras to the rest of the boardwalk next year.
The old wooden boardwalk in Long Beach was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy and rebuilt with concrete and new light poles, where the cameras will be mounted.
