As part of a pilot program to stop break-ins and armed robberies, a San Jose councilman gave free security cameras to business owners in his area on Tuesday.
It was announced in September by Councilmember Peter Ortiz, and he was at the Alum Rock Village to directly hand out the devices.
“To say that enough is enough, that crime isn’t going to go unpunished here in Alum Rock Village and also to let our small businesses know that the city supports them,” said Ortiz. “We stand behind them.”
In the past few weeks, Ortiz’s office has found 25 small companies in the area that want the free cameras. They each got a setup with four cameras.
It cost the city $50,000 to start the program because people were worried about their safety after at least four businesses were broken into near Alum Rock Avenue and White Road.
Over the course of about a month or two, the businesses that were broken into included a bakery that was hit more than once, a tattoo studio, and a cell phone store.
The leader of the Alum Rock Village Business Association, Hien Nguyen, told NBC Bay Area that only 40% to 50% of companies in the area had security cameras until Tuesday.
Nguyen agreed that adding more cameras will help business owners who don’t speak English feel more comfortable reporting crimes. Ortiz said that the cameras are turned in to the San Jose Police Department.
For example, if someone breaks the law in the area, police say they know where the cameras are and can ask for the video.
Capt. Brian Spears of the San Jose police said, “Any little bit helps.” We now know what kind of make or model we’re looking for, so if we catch a car, for example. A person who is wearing something very special and one-of-a-kind. You can now share those movies.
As part of the city’s “Capture Crime” pilot program, 50 small companies in areas with a lot of crime were given free surveillance systems. Officials from the police force say that crimes with digital proof are usually looked into first.
