New command center lets Columbus police monitor downtown with real-time video
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new safety initiative is putting more eyes on Downtown Columbus than ever before.
A security command center is now fully operational in the heart of downtown. This is all a part public-private partnership and an initiative called ‘Safer Downtown,’ which is funded with grant money.
Leaders said with the city growing and more people moving to the downtown area, this is a crucial step.
“Having the safer downtown benefits everybody in central Ohio,” said Cmdr. Duane Mabry with the Columbus Division of Police. “Having those visitors come, having the people who work down here, having the people who live down here all feel safer and have this one more tool in the safety toolbox is good for everybody. It'll benefit everybody in the long run. And so I am really excited to see it come in. I'm really excited to see where in the future we go with it.”
The command center is located in the Lazarus building. Mabry said someone will be monitoring the command center 24/7.
He said there are cameras, radio feeds and phone lines. Mabry said they strategically picked the locations of the cameras.
“Our crime analysts looked at our crime patterns and we kind of looked at camera placement based on those crime patterns," he said. "Where are we seeing hotspots and where can we better address that? And what are those hotspots look like over the last two, three, four or five years?" Mabry said.
Mabry said this can also be beneficial for going back and getting the facts of a situation when working to solve crimes.
“That's a big help to law enforcement. You know, even if we might not be able to stop in real time what happened, we can circle back and see what happened,” said Greg Davies, the CEO of Downtown Columbus Inc.
Davies said downtown is safe, but this adds another layer of security. He said there are currently 100 cameras around the area and, through grant money, they plan to add 100 more.
“This is the engine that makes the region go," Davies said. “Without a strong downtown, you can have great suburbs. But I would argue, you know, the city is not going to be as successful as it could be. And if people don't feel safe coming downtown, it's going to be a real struggle. So as we begin to get more people living here, working here, there's a lot more stuff to do. In the summer, we'll get a lot of festivals, people and just that knowledge that this word's getting out that you can feel comfortable.”
They said this has been about a year in the making and they did studies to ensure this was the right tactic. They said the launch timing is perfect with the downtown festival season approaching.
“It's going to be a great spot to come for red, white and blue and kind of see how the crowd is doing, make sure the crowd is safe,” Mabry said. “We'll find out as soon as this Saturday as the half marathon comes up, and we'll see how these cameras work and see make sure that, you know, our theory was correct."
They say they plan to use the cameras to identify areas downtown that need better lighting and update those areas. They say having good light to get a better picture all coincides with making the neighborhood safer.