A new controversial upgrade is being installed into St. George’s town square, something officials believe will prevent and apprehend criminals. Public officials announced during a recent city council meeting that new surveillance hardware will be installed and operational within the next few weeks.
“These cameras are highly advanced,” St. George Assistant City Manager Marc Mortensen told SUN News, “we’ve got two 360-degree cameras and one 180-degree device monitoring the area, enough to see nearly every nook and cranny town square has.”
The devices offer a 24/7 video surveillance system for the area to prevent vandalism, abduction, or any other type of crime that could possibly happen. The closed-wire feed will be available to police and dispatch officers who will access the connection to reflect on past video and monitor suspicious activity.
Some residents of St. George aren’t so sure about a camera constantly recording them. “I feel like we are over-policed already,” town square frequenter Sarah Langford said, “It’s an invasion of privacy, the park is a safe place and live by the rule, ‘If it’s not broke, why fix it?'”
“We won’t be using these cameras to spy on people,” Mortensen said. “Tax payers spent thousands of dollars to build this beautiful park and we just want to make sure it stays safe.”
The cameras will be operational and in full use by St. George Police within the next few weeks.
