- The City of Jackson thinks free doorcams could help solve and deter crime.
- A pilot program called "Eyes on the Block" will hand out 100 free doorbell cameras to households in Jackson's Wards 1 and 2.
The City of Jackson wants to give 100 households in Wards 1 and 2 one of these. Notes:show doorcam
"I think it's a great tool," says Jeff Kirkpatrick.
"Eyes on the Block" is the name of the new program. The goal of this pilot phase: 100 door bell cameras like this one that can be used, in the words of City spokesperson Christina Crouch, "to help deter, detect, and stop crime."
The proliferation of cameras authorities could access doesn't sit well with some neighbors.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
"I am not a fan of surveillance in general," says Kevin Jennings. He worries anything recording and transmitting images can be misused.
"Who's to stop them from using the FLOCK cameras or the doorbell cameras to keep track of everything you do?"
Kirkpatrick thinks it's a matter of civic duty: "That, to me, is me doing my part in the neighborhood to help reduce crime."
Crouch stresses law enforcement won't have automatic access to the footage. They'd have to ask you for it.
"This is purely a voluntary program….This is not something that the police will actually be able to monitor their cameras at all times," says Crouch.
To learn more about the program, you can attend a community meeting next Tuesday at the Martin Luther King Center starting at 6.
SEE OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE HERE.
Want more FOX 47 News? Here's how you download our Roku app
You can also see the latest news from across our mid-Michigan neighborhoods by liking us on Facebook or following us on X.
