Cameras placed in Metro parking facilities aren’t making any difference in fighting crime, a new study has found. But the transit agency said it plans to continue using them anyway.
The Urban Institute teamed up with Metro to study how effective digital cameras are at deterring theft from lots, a hot spot for crime in the transit system. Thieves have driven off in cars, stolen items from parked vehicles and committed other crimes at Metro’s 42 parking facilities.
The D.C.-based research institute found the cameras did not make a difference, after reviewing 12 months of data from 50 sites.
“Technology is only as good as the manner in which it is employed,” the report released Monday said. “If it is employed minimally or is not well integrated into other policing functions, it is unlikely to yield a significant impact on crime.”
The cameras were placed near exits with a motion-detection trigger to photograph the license plates of exiting cars, and signs were posted nearby to alert drivers.
Only about a third of the cameras were active at any given time, though, because of budget constraints. The thinking was that even “dummy” cameras would deter crime.
Shortly before the study, Metro disbanded its auto theft unit due to budget cuts, the report said. Furthermore, the study found “no concrete information” on whether the agency was using the photos in investigations or linking to license plate recognition software as planned. The pictures had to be downloaded on site, rather than remotely from one location, and could not be used to intervene in crimes already under way. “The cameras were not integrated into law enforcement patrol or investigative activities,” the report added.
Other research has found that video surveillance, not still images, is more likely to have an impact when cameras are highly concentrated, actively monitored, and integrated into police work, the report said.
But Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said Metro owns the cameras and could still rely on them for investigations. “Our approach to fighting crime involves multiple tactics,” he said. “Cameras are just one part of it.”
