Baltimore Installs Video Cameras To Curb Crime

City officials said Friday that video cameras would be installed all over downtown to watch for criminals.

Police have set up the first two cameras near Lexington Market, a popular indoor food bazaar plagued by crime and loiterers. By next year, they hope to have every block in downtown Baltimore under surveillance.

“I know some people get nervous with Big Brother watching, but people want us to do everything to make our neighborhoods safer,” Mayor Kurt Schmoke said as city officials showed off the system.

Within two weeks, 14 more cameras will be installed, covering 16 blocks around the market at a total cost of $58,000. The stationary cameras, mounted on traffic signal posts, will be monitored 16 hours a day at a nearby police substation that resembles an oversized telephone booth.