By Gus Saltonstall
A number of new security cameras were installed at the beginning of this year throughout the Upper West Side following New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer’s 2023 participatory budgeting process, West Side Rag recently learned.
A total of 18 cameras, nine boxes with two cameras each, were installed and activated on the Upper West Side at the end of January, 2024. The capital funding allocated through Brewer’s office from the budget to the New York Police Department for the security cameras was $320,000.
For security reasons, the specific locations of the cameras can’t be revealed, but the general areas were made available.
- New cameras on Riverside Drive in the 90s
- New cameras on Broadway in the 90s
- New cameras on Amsterdam in the 90s
- New cameras in Central Park
- New cameras on Central Park West in the 60s
“I think people will be really pleased because at every police precinct meeting I get asked by residents about more security cameras on the Upper West Side,” Brewer told West Side Rag on the phone. “It’s a good process (participatory budgeting), the only frustrating part is that it can take a while, but the timeline on the cameras wasn’t bad.”
For those who might be unfamiliar, participatory budgeting is a process where community members vote on local projects to receive funding from the city budget. Upper West Siders in Council District 6 voted for the security cameras in the process two years ago.
Both Brewer and Councilmember Shaun Abreu recently wrapped up this year’s rendition of participatory budgeting voting, which included such possible projects as new tree guards throughout the Upper West Side, a bathroom upgrade at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, and a renovation of a local playground.
The projects to receive funding will be announced in the coming months.
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At $17,700 each, they aren’t cheap, and taking 2 years to install in crazy, but I think they will pay for themselves financially, and hopefully save lives/reduce crime.
This is the first decision our electeds have made that I’m happy with in a long time.
Part I These cameras were NOT from last year’s participatory budgeting. The $320,000 was approved by the cc in early 2022 and the 20 & 24 submitted locations for them then. Since then, all we got was we will look into where the monies were from Brewer’s office. After 2+ years of no further response other than that when asked, a number of residents/merchants became very vocal about where the cameras were. It was clear that Brewer did not like being questioned at a number of meetings about the lack of follow up from her.
It would be interesting to know the details of how the cameras work, like are they part of a larger network that is actively being monitored? And if so, how many are in that network? Or, do they just get reviewed when there is a particular purpose, like tracking a crime? I also wonder how long they keep the recordings for before clearing them.
I have a list of the cameras that have been installed and a list of the cameras there are about to be installed.
Part IV
One: How do just 20 camaras cost $320,000? What was the competitive bidding process, there was nothing in the “City Record” on a bid solicitation for them.
Two: At all levels our electeds need to be more responsive. We are looking into it, when you are asked repeatedly about an issue by residents/merchants that are your constituents, over almost a year, is not an acceptable answer. No matter what the issue is. This issue was obviously on constituent’s minds and should have had much better follow up, as our elcteds work for us not the other way around.
I do this type of work for a living. You’re not just paying for the cameras but the labor and the infrastructure to support it. I recently did an install at a facility in Long Island. 17k for a server, 14k for cabling, 17.5k for electricians,, and 27k per camera. High resolution, Infrared, vandal resistant, license plate readers, and don’t get me started on software licensing! The price just keeps climbing . $110k for one building and just a handful of cameras.
The $$$$ allocated were strictly for the camaras being bought, the other infostructure, such as comms was already in place for other agency devices on the same poles. This should have been a “plug and play op.
100%. Talk to a high-end condo or large retail building like Macy’s and ask them how much they paid per camera for their security system. I bet a fraction of the cost.
A few years ago my building paid $17,000 for 15 cameras. This is $17,000 PER camera? I hope there’s something really special about these cameras.
Remember this when they claim the budget is being “slashed”.
Part II Earlier this year Abreu attended a number of meetings to introduce himself to the areas he took over from Brewer. At these meetings Brewer was again questioned, giving the “we will look into it”. Abreu’s response was he would look into it and check where the money was. They followed up with her office and the budgeting depts downtown.
Pretty smart to have guessed that cameras weren’t placed anywhere closed to where I live. Just a few here and there. Couldn’t spread a few more in the 70s and 80s??
Sad that none of the proposed options for participatory budgeting included education – bathrooms and tree guards are more important?
It’s not a matter of relative importance. Only specific, one-time items funded through the capital budge are eligible to be authorized through participatory budgeting, not expense items.
When her term is up, I hope Gale Brewer runs for Manhattan for president. She does ann outstanding job in whatever position she holds.
She just left that job ! She should run for mayor….
I can also attest that Gale Brewer was questioned and pushed for 4 months in public meetings, after over 2 years of waiting, to finally do something about the money that was approved. It wasn’t until the spotlight was on her for not following up that she even looked into it.
The important part is it DOES pay to push for answers and action and not let it go when something is important, like our safety. No one will do anything if they are not finally pushed for action over and over again if it’s not “their” priority. We, the people, can do something to make a change.
Some people will do something without being pushed. Gale is not one of them.
Unless these new cameras show Donald Trump committing a crime Bragg is not interested in prosecuting.
Newsmaxx – is that you?
Thank you!. Continue to install even more.
If you have not noticed there has been cameras installed throughout the entire (All-sides) of The Theodore Roosevelt Park (AMNH) especially around the Richard Gilder Science section of the park the past few weeks.
Three things:
First, thank you to the reporter for sharing this.
Two, the Upper West Side is becoming an Orwellian dystopia. I find it sad.
Three, participatory budgeting sounds like a fraught system. Who is voting on the projects? Who knows about the meetings? Who’s able to attend?
Residents vote. That’s why it’s called participatory. Meetings were announced in The Rag.
Participatory budgets are voted on by residents, and meetings are announced multiple times. Get on your councilmember’s mailing list. Brewer (and others) repeatedly announced the meetings and urged people to participate. It’s a great way to have a direct effect on your neighborhood–hope you’ll sign up and take part next time around.
I had installed a security camera on my building on 72nd St. The Police would often ask me for footage of various robberies that had taken place which I was happy to provide them. And then about a year later I got a notice from Landmarks that I had to take the small security camera down as it wasn’t approved to be attached to the building. It was so small that it was hard to notice but of course NYC thought it should be taken down even though it was helpful to the police.
What does the NYPD do with the recordings?
Will I end up in a museum one day?
Are they storing my bio metrics for other purposes?
Can I demand to see what records they are keeping on my activities about the neighborhood?
The lapsed time between a perp commits a crime and someone manages to look at what the camera recorded, is sufficiently long enough for the perp to be released with no bail and commit several more crimes,
How would quick access to the recording make a difference if the perp has already been caught? It becomes evidence at the trial, not at a bail hearing, as far as I know.
Without going into detail there are a number of ways these are used in real time to stop a crime and or spot someone in advance
Only the NYC government can afford to spend so much money on so little security. 18 cameras for $300K is shameful. Take it from a person who was responsible for installation of security systems. Even for a greedy contractor with all overhead and profit it is not close to a reasonable price. No wonder our taxes are what they are.
These are for the NYPD? They need this money? Crazy
As usual, 100th to 110th don’t seem to ever get any of the budget. And yes, we are considered the upper west side, not morningside.
“For security reasons, the specific locations of the cameras can’t be revealed.”
What’s the point of this? Presumably, recordings from these cameras will be available via a Freedom of Information Act request, and then it will take anyone who’s familiar with the neighborhood maybe 30 seconds to figure out where any given camera is located.