CHICAGO — In a development that could draw parallels to George Owell’s 1984, Chicago has taken surveillance to a whole new level. With over 10,000 pubic and private cameras already in place around the city, and with plans to add even more public and private cameras to the system, Chicago has, by far, the most extensive video surveillance system in the United States. By comparison, New York City has about 4200 surveillance cameras.
Surveillance cameras. Photo by Quevaal
Although 10,000 cameras may seem a lot when you compare Chicago to other U.S. cities to combat crime, apparently it is not enough for new emergency management chief, Jose Santiago. Santiago was quoted in a recent Sun-Times article as saying, “We can help our first-responders…we can flip a switch and we’re there already. We can say, ‘This is what you’re about to get into. You might need more resources.’ We can say, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t go in this way.’”
Emergency management and communications spokesman Will Knight said that although locations for the new cameras as well as what private camera systems will be incorporated have yet to be determined, Chicago is “looking into all areas.”
Although such a system is designed to help cut down on crime, fears of the camera system being used to monitor people’s everyday’s lives, a la 1984, should not be a concern.
“The camera system is only used for traffic activity and criminal surveillance,” Knight said. “This is a great initiative. Every day universities, local hotels, businesses and residence buildings are all asking to be included in the system. The point [of the surveillance system] is we can see something others cannot.”
In what has been a trend nationwide since the early 2000s, cities all across the country have been installing similar systems. From Washington D.C. to Detroit to New Orleans, extensive surveillance systems seem to be the fad.
However, all of this pales in comparison to Great Britain’s surveillance system where over 4 million cameras are deployed.
The video surveillance system costs Chicago about $1.4 million a year to maintain.
