Surveillance cameras nearly ready for downtown Iowa City

Downtown Iowa City, are you ready for your close-up?

Surveillance cameras being installed by the Downtown Association may be ready to go live by July 1, according to association president Leah Cohen. In fact, a couple are in place now and have been undergoing testing, she said.

The organization, which represents downtown businesses, hopes the cameras will boost public safety downtown, particularly on the Pedestrian Mall, an area closed to vehicular traffic that is full of bars and restaurants.

While Iowa City is known throughout the state for its vibrant downtown, the concentration of drinkers also brings problems, like fights.

“I think the Downtown Association just determined that this is a good means for us to be able to monitor that people are safe in our Ped Mall,” Cohen said.

Cohen and Nick Arnold, Downtown Association executive director, declined to say how many cameras there will be and where they will be located except that they will be on private property and cover most of the Pedestrian Mall. Arnold said once installed, the cameras should be visible.

Patrick Gordon, president of Iowa City-based PhySecure, the company installing the surveillance system, declined to comment.

The cost is estimated at $30,000, which will come from private sources, Arnold said.

The Downtown Association has committed to a three-year pilot program and will monitor its effectiveness, Cohen said. If it is successful at reducing violence, Cohen said the association may see if the city of Iowa City is interested in taking it over long term and maybe even expanding on it.

Police Chief Sam Hargadine, an advocate of downtown cameras, said that is something he would consider. For now, law enforcement officials will be able to log into the system through the Internet and review images that may aid in their investigations.

Hargadine pointed to Dubuque's city-run camera system as a potential model. Dubuque has cameras in a portion of its downtown by the Mississippi River known as Ice Harbor. Police Chief Mark Dalsing said images from both the city's and private surveillance cameras have aided in criminal investigations.

Randall Wilson, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, said while there is not an expectation of privacy in a public space like the Ped Mall, a powerful and extensive surveillance system, particularly one the government has access to, could be cause for concern.

“When you start to talk about government surveillance of the population 24-7 in all areas of the city, then you're talking about some pretty heavy-duty surveillance, and the long-term implications of that could be quite serious,” he said.

Hargadine instead compared the system to ones run by private businesses, like in Hy-Vee parking lots.

“I don't think it detracts from their business in the slightest,” he said.