Philly Controller says police video cams still have serious problems

Philadelphia’s City Controller says the cameras used to monitor crime on the streets of Philadelphia have fallen into disrepair, but the mayor refutes the claim.

One year ago, Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkovitz’ report showed just under half the city’s surveillance cameras were not working. Now he says the situation has become worse.

“They’ve gone backwards. 55 percent of the cameras were working a year ago now only 32 percent of them were working. The administration promised when this came out last summer that by September 90 percent of them would be working.”

 Mayor Michael Nutter says the controller is wrong.

 “Through the course of the year it has varied from 85 percent to the low 90’s. The report has many inaccuracies, unfortunately. Obviously we have taken great steps through the past couple of years to get that number up to where it is.”

 A spokesman for the controller’s office says it stands by the audit.