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Two-Story Surveillance Vehicle Gets OK in Hollywood By Shannon O'Boye 6/10/05 |
This summer, eagle-eye police officers will get a leg up with their
surveillance and crowd-control operations. The City Commission, acting as the Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, voted unanimously to buy the Police Department a $53,000, two-story "crime deterrence and surveillance unit."
The contraption, called a Sky Watch, looks like a cherry picker that a tree-trimmer might ride in, except it's enclosed and has four tinted windows.
"It's already being used by the military and other police departments, including the Broward Sheriff's Office," Maj. James Jones said.
The city is working hard to attract more people to the beach, leading to a need for more police presence, Jones said. The Sky Watch is good way to keep an eye on a large area while leaving most of the work force free to do other things, he said.
"It's good for special events, like Fourth of July on the beach," Jones said. "It goes 24 feet in the air. You can see an area it would take three or four police officers to cover on foot."
Because of the machine's size, it will be a "good meeting point for people at the beach," Jones said.
"If parents get separated from their children -- which happens 10 to 12 times every festival -- it's the perfect place to meet back up," Jones said.
Commissioners like the fact that when officers are not using the Sky Watch at the beach, it can be used as a
crime-deterrent in parking lots where burglars are breaking into vehicles.
Jones fielded a few questions from the CRA board, but commissioners didn't think the purchase required much discussion.
"When you think about the huge crowds, to be able to see those setting off fireworks when they shouldn't be and kids doing something they shouldn't, and to be able to
reunite kids with parents, it's a great use of CRA money,"
Mayor Mara Giulianti said.
The city hopes to have the Sky Watch in operation by July. Source: sun-sentinel.com |
