Cleveland City Council mulls benefits of installing 1,000 security cameras throughout city

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Controversy over street lights lit up Cleveland City Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday.

With several residents protesting that the new LED lights shine too brightly into their homes and onto their porches, police promised to address the issue, but not before Council President Kevin Kelley weighed in.

“This is an example of taking something that should be great for this city. This is something we all supported, and in the rollout, getting citizens really angry, and rightfully so, and then not responding to them,” said Kelley.

The street lights are part of a plan, dubbed "Smart CLE," which aims to implement safety measures with new technology, including bright LED lighting and cameras synced to police headquarters.

There will be a total of 1,000 cameras scattered among Cleveland wards.

“We are not going to be peering into anyone’s living room, looking into anyone’s car,” said Chairman Matt Zone. “But what they are going to do, and I know, because I have several in my ward, that have led to the apprehension of stolen jet skis, a homicide, real solving of crimes.”

Despite pressure from committee members, police representatives did not say exactly how many cameras would be placed in which ward or on what criteria.

They did say that there was not a specific amount allocated to each ward, indicating that crime statistics would play a role in which cameras were placed where.

The committee also discussed a proposal to move the horse stables for the Cleveland Mountain Police, debating over a number of sites as possibilities.

The project could range between $6.2 million and $11.4 million, depending on the location, necessary construction and development costs, and related expenses.

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