Poteet PD uses video camera to combat crime





POTEET– Beginning this week, the Poteet Police Department will look for an eye in the sky with the assistance of an extremely resourceful device: a high-powered camera.

“It’s a deterrent,” Poteet Police Chief Plutarco Castro said.

“When I first got here the community wanted me to do something about crime. This is something that can help deter the crime.”

Castro began his tenure as the Poteet Police Chief in January of this year and has seen a decline in crime since then.

“Most of the crime is local people stealing items around neighborhoods during the day,” he said.

An eye in the sky will help alleviate response time for dispatched officers.

“We can access the camera from our phones,” Castro said.

“The camera can help us pinpoint particular times when a crime occurred.”

The camera, which is placed atop a water tower, costs $4,500 and has an optic zoom of 30 times.

Arguments of privacy isn’t an issue amongst the Poteet community.

“It’s not an X-ray camera and can’t look into somebody’s house,” Castro said.

“Everybody that I have spoken with is for it, but I’m sure the criminals will be against it because of the illegal activities they are doing. The community feels more secure how we are trying to combat crime in Poteet.”

The video obtained will be stored on a digital video recorder 24 hours a day seven days a week.

Adding a second camera is possible depending on how effective the first one works, Castro said.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *