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ACE Installing Security Cameras By Erin Sherbert 11/7/05 |
This article focuses on the effectiveness of
security cameras on commuter trains and on station platforms.
STOCKTON — Transit officials are installing new
security cameras to improve safety on board the
Altamont Commuter Express.
The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which owns and operates ACE trains, on Thursday, hired a firm to put 110
digital security cameras throughout the ACE trains. The cameras will cost about $236,000, ACE officials said.
Each train car will have four
security cameras that will record passengers as they enter and exit the train, said Brian Schmidt, rail program manager for ACE. There will also be cameras on the control car.
Schmidt said the
security cameras are meant to help law enforcement officers investigate crimes that might happen aboard the train. Only police and ACE officials will view the video footage as needed.
"If something occurs, you have video footage," Schmidt said. "You can transmit those photographs to other agencies."
ACE operates three daily round-trip commuter trains between Stockton and San Jose, with stops in Lathrop, Tracy, Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont and Santa Clara. The train carries about 1,300 daily commuters.
Some ACE passengers say they hope the
security cameras will deter potential criminals from boarding the train.
The
security cameras are being paid for with an $800,000 grant from the federal Office of Homeland Security. The agency recently allocated $7.1 million for public transit among agencies in the Bay Area and San Joaquin County. That money is being shared among various agencies for more security measures, including technology that could detect explosives, Schmidt has said.
ACE also plans to use the grant to pay for a tracking system so officials can spot the exact location of trains. Transit agencies throughout the Bay Area, including ACE, are working to create a radio system so they can talk directly to each other. Currently, if an incident occurs, that information is filtered through law enforcement before it is sent along to other agencies, Schmidt said.
Source: recordnet.com
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