Saginaw police to use cameras to monitor streets

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) - High-definition cameras will soon assist Saginaw police keep watch over the city's streets as part of a new system.

The Regional Analysis of Police Technology and Operations Reporting system is currently being tested, The Saginaw News reported. Saginaw police Chief Gerald Cliff plans to unveil the system, known as RAPTOR, during a March 7 meeting.

The system will go into use soon after that date, he said.

"Right now, we're seeing what it's capable of," Cliff said. "We need to work with it, refine it."

The police department has been secretive about the location of the cameras because they only cover a portion of the city, and Cliff said he doesn't want people to know what areas are being watched. The cameras are expected to work both day and night.

"They're meant to be a crime deterrent," Cliff said. "I can read a license plate from 400 feet away. We can direct them and do a number of things with them."

Video feeds from around the city are displayed on 10 flat-panel monitors, Cliff said, noting the screens were seized from local drug dealers. The $850,000 system is paid for through a federal grant.

Since 2009, Saginaw has been using ShotSpotter, a system that is designed to pick up the sound of gunfire and point police toward it. ShotSpotter features acoustic sensors linked to a central computer and pinpoints shots with the help of GPS navigation.

RAPTOR will interface with ShotSpotter to show officers video of where shots were heard almost immediately, Cliff said. ShotSpotter is used in dozens of U.S. cities, and similar video systems are also in use, Cliff said. The Saginaw department also uses real-time crime mapping and police car GPS tracking.

Private businesses, neighborhood associations, housing developments and others may purchase their own camera and computer equipment and opt into RAPTOR. That will give the police department direct access to the video feed in case a crime happens. So far, 18 entities have signed up.

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Information from: The Saginaw News, http://www.mlive.com/saginaw

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.