Fredericton police to add more security cameras, including at 2 high schools

CBC

2 days ago

Fredericton police plan to have eyes on two city high schools, but the force and school district insist it's not because of a specific incident or trend.
Fredericton High School and Leo Hayes High School will each get two security cameras, to be installed on school grounds as part of a plan by police to add a total of 14 cameras across the city this summer.
"These schools are communities, small communities in and amongst themselves," Fredericton police Insp. David Cooper said.
"And we figured, hey, here's an opportunity to ask the school board to jump on board with this. And they certainly agreed, and they're participating in the program."
WATCH | Additional eyes on Fredericton high school students starting this fall:
Police security cameras coming to Fredericton high schools
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Fredericton police will install security cameras at two high schools in the city in an attempt to deter crime and more easily solve investigations.
The 14 new cameras will be an addition to the 28 security cameras set up across Fredericton over the past two years.
The program was started in response to concerns about downtown crime, with 12 cameras installed in 2022. Of those, five are described as "community cameras," with their footage viewable by the public on the city's website. The other seven can only be viewed by police and city staff.
Another 16 cameras have since been installed, all only viewable by police and city staff.
Adding even more security cameras was one of 47 recommendations put forward by a group asked to come up with ways to reduce crime in Fredericton.
In addition to the four cameras to be installed at the high schools, 10 will be installed along the Northside Trail, Crosstown Trail, the roundabout at Woodstock Road and Smythe Street, and in the downtown business district.
Cooper said the idea to put security cameras at the two schools wasn't prompted by a specific incident.
Rather, he said, the move is a proactive measure in light of the number of people who visit and occupy the schools on a regular school day.
"When you have an area, a building where there's a thousand people in it, that's a lot of people," Cooper said.
"And public safety is always a concern when you have that many people in one small area, which is why we offered the opportunity to the school board."
District paying for high school cameras
The beefed-up surveillance on Fredericton's two anglophone schools isn't coming free of charge.
The four new cameras will cost Anglophone West School District $7,000 each, said superintendent David McTimoney.
Police "explained the initiative and how it works with other partners, with the business community here in the city," he said. "And I thought that that we as a school system might also benefit from that partnership."
McTimoney also said there hasn't been one single incident or trend that prompted the district to adopt the cameras.
He said the schools already have their own security cameras inside, and that the additional cameras will add another layer of security for staff and students while they're on and around school grounds.
"Proactively, it can certainly provide a sense of security for those who who are on the grounds," he said.
"And then of course, after the fact, if there is an incident that occurs, it could certainly help with any type of investigation that might be required as well."
Cameras have proved useful, says officer
Since security cameras were installed nearly three years ago, they've helped with investigations into a handful of cases, Cooper said.
Those include a fatal crash between a truck and cyclist at King and Westmorland streets, which didn't end with charges against the driver.
The cameras "made the investigation simple because it all played out on camera," he said.
Footage was also captured from the night André Bourgeois was assaulted in the Tannery last fall. He died five days later, and a 19-year old and three youth now face manslaughter charges.
Other incidents caught on camera include arson af two downtown buildings and an incident where the downtown library was broken into and vandalized.
Cooper said the cameras' footage can be viewed in real time by dispatchers, as well as by police officers if they want to monitor an event.
The footage is kept for 14 days, with only supervising officers allowed to go back and review past footage.