Monrovia officials consider installing surveillance cameras at parks to deter crimes

MONROVIA, Calif. (KABC) -- "Big Brother" may soon be watching over Monrovia. The city is considering a plan to install surveillance cameras at parks and other places to prevent criminal activity.

It's a problem facing a lot of cities - drug use and illegal activity in parks. Now, the city of Monrovia is considering spending just over $180,000 to install surveillance cameras at its parks and water wells.

It's a plan some residents seem to like.

"I'm not against it. It's just an extra tool for the police department," said Larry Salas, a Monrovia resident.

Fellow resident Nishaant Pandita said he agrees and thinks the plan is a reasonable way to ensure public safety.

City officials said residents started voicing their concern about the number of homeless and illegal activity at city parks about two years ago. A group demanded something be done.

"I have a lot of empathy for homeless people. We really ought to provide some facilities for them, but while there's nothing for them, they'll find places to go," said Peter Bickers, a Monrovia resident. "So anything we can do to help the police out and keep our neighborhoods safe is a good thing."

The Monrovia Police Department has 80 full-time officers watching over a city of 36,000 people. Police Chief Jim Hunt said the cameras will be a much needed tool to lower the crime rate in this San Gabriel Valley community.

"It'll be a deterrent for folks that might come there to either vandalize a building or someone that might be in the park and wanted to utilize any illegal narcotics, and so it would be a deterrent for them doing that there," Hunt said.

Hunt said his goal is to have all of the cameras up and running by summer.