JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An upgraded surveillance system is expected to give the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office yet another tool to help crack down on the city’s violent crime problem.
The city is set to spend $3 million on the closed circuit television project as well as upgrades to 20 surveillance camera systems installed at locations downtown and in Northwest Jacksonville.
If all goes according to plan, the system could be up and running as soon as next month, starting with 20 cameras and potentially expanding to 50 cameras by this summer.
INTERACTIVE MAP: View our interactive map below to see all the locations where the city currently plans to make surveillance system upgrades.
The goal is to integrate the upgraded surveillance system with ShotSpotter, a gunfire-detection system the city already uses, so police can get to more crime scenes faster.
Police stationed at the Sheriff’s Office’s real-time crime center on the Westside would be able to monitor crimes as they happen using the cameras closest to each incident.
The plan for the crime center doesn’t end with city cameras. In fact, the Sheriff’s Office could expand its network with help from private citizens and businesses, said Chief Nick Burgos.
“We are going to open it up to different corporations and different homeowners if they want to lend their camera feed to us via IP address,” Burgos said.
Residents who spoke with News4Jax on Monday said they’re on board with the additional surveillance, noting it could help keep them safer.
“People are doing things that we don’t see,” said Andrew Holmes. “And we need to see more.”