Blind cameras

Before Camden attempts to monitor crime with police surveillance cameras, it might want to note some of the pitfalls.

The Scranton Sunday Times reports that Scranton’s two-year-old surveillance camera network hasn’t done much to deter or solve crimes.

The city’s 12 cameras apparently cover less than 1 percent of the city, and the ratio of city residents to cameras is 6,000 to 1, but the city still paid $220,000 for the cameras.

On top of that, the live video isn’t always monitored at the police station, and the cameras aren’t reliable because wind often disrupts their wireless connection.

Scranton’s police captain says the problems would be solved if the city had more cameras and more people to monitor them.