Iowa City looking to install cameras in downtown Pedestrian Mall

City says this will help officers access footage when they are investigating incidents in the area

Mar. 16, 2023 9:31 am, Updated: Mar. 16, 2023 2:29 pm

People walk through the Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City in January 2018. (The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — The city of Iowa City is planning to install 13 cameras throughout the Pedestrian Mall this summer, which the city says will help law enforcement by giving them access to footage when they are investigating incidents in the area.

The new cameras will capture more than is currently available and will be the first city-owned cameras in the downtown Pedestrian Mall, city staff told The Gazette. The estimated project cost is $95,000.

“In some cases, our officers and investigators will have access to 360-degree coverage, which will be critical in instances such as a missing child or a fleeing subject, as our officers will be able to use that footage to more accurately track their movements through the Ped Mall when investigating the incident,” public safety information officer Lee Hermiston said.

The infrastructure for the cameras was installed a few years ago as part of the 2018-19 Pedestrian Mall Improvements project, Hermiston said. Communications coordinator Shannon McMahon said the project “was not prompted by any recent incident.”

Recent incidents on the Ped Mall include shots fired in 2021 and again in January this year. There have also been thefts reported, including a Christmas sleigh that was taken in November, and an inflatable rabbit that was part of an art exhibit was taken in February — both of which were ultimately returned.

Hermiston said the cameras will not be used to actively monitor Ped Mall visitors and shoppers. Most of the time, the footage will be accessed after an incident, he added.

When crime occurs in the Pedestrian Mall, Hermiston said the Iowa City Police Department has had to rely on private entities to provide camera footage.

“These cameras will provide us with our own footage to help make arrests and get convictions, as juries are increasingly expecting concrete, impartial evidence rather than just witness accounts,” Hermiston said.

The project went out to bid this week, and bids are due April 5.