THUNDER BAY -- Surveillance technology is about to capture activity in the city's downtown cores in full colour and high definition.
City Council unanimously adopted the annual Eye In The Sky report without discussion at its Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday.
The report recommended replacing 13 of the 16 video cameras in 2015 with similar technology but administration found the camera model is no longer available.
That led to investigating upgrades to the system that will improve resolution and add colour. The city’s manager of central support, Charles Campbell argued better visual images would provide more information to police and could result in greater effectiveness.
The Eye in the Sky audit shows the cameras captured 271 incidents of interest to police in 2015, 31 more they caught the year before and 98 more than they observed in 2013.
Campbell claims capturing crime through video surveillance accounted for 58 arrests in 2015, 19 of which resulted in video presentations as evidence in criminal court proceedings.
While only two per cent of incidents captured on camera are listed as property crime (including vehicles) and one per cent was related to theft, 52 per cent of incidents related to drugs and alcohol and an additional 27 per cent involved assault.
