In NYC you are being monitored, without the tongue in cheek signs. Which do you prefer? Knowing you are being watched or being watched without knowing?

Even in New Haven you cant walk by a restaurant, bar, bank or almost any other retailer without being recorded. Almost every intersection has a traffic camera already all these signs do it point it out to would be criminals or tourists who are scared to walk to the train station. I like the idea that next time a kid wants to set fire a garbage he may think twice knowing it will be on camera.

Josh,

I feel uncomfortable as do many I have heard from. Its hard to explain why it makes you feel uncomfortable. Its similar to why you irrationally feel uncomfortable when you go through border patrol and you are being monitored for illegal activity when you have done nothing illegal. It also makes me believe that where we are is dangerous which is not true.

I prefer being watched without knowing Moe. Not sure how to explain this but I generally feel this is bad for business, community, the neighborhood and New Haven.

I agree the area is safe but the truth is downtown is riddled with crime. I have to chain my garbage cans up at night or they will be stolen, my wife had to ask people to move there drug deal from in front of my front door last week. I had the window at my biz smashed in a while back and kids that broke the glass door at 900 chapel also kicked in a panel on my car. There was the fire set next to white buffalo, graffiti is none stop, the trash bins on the green are constantly being poured out, the planters in front of English market were stolen in the middle of the night not to mention the constant drug deals that go on in "the lot". Shootings twice in a few months at uptown lounge, and every alcove in the city is full of urine. In ten years of living downtown I've never been caused any physical harm so I really do believe its safe but as a downtown property owner who paid for the cameras through the town green assessment I'm happy to have some possibility of slowing down the property damage and the quality of life crimes that no one else seems to care about.

The fire next to White Buffalo is a great reason why we don't need these. The fire was stopped and the kids were arrested because there were eyes on the street who saw the kids and alerted the police. Ironically they tried to hide the lit pail under the awning at which point it caught on fire.

We have enough people paying attention and speaking up that we don't need to be reminded that we there is some higher power looking down on us.

Thanks for having a civilized conversation with me on this btw. Its a complicated situation. I do know that it has me considering whether our business belongs in this neighborhood longterm.

BB

Since I don't break the law, I have no concern or worries about cameras downtown. I think they should be all over New Haven.

I think it was lucky that someone was there for the fire but so many things happen every week that people don't see in action like the English Market Planters. Even if people do see events it would be great to have cameras like the Saint Patrick's day incident with the police at buffalo wild wings. If I could get them to aim a camera at my building and down the side street I would love it. Where I think the entire thing is coming from is that people don't feel safe on the walk from the train station to downtown and so the police chief asked town green to install these cameras along the walk. I think its important to realize that no one is monitoring the cameras no one is watching you walk down the street they are just to be able to review what happened and anyone can walk in to the community alliance center and ask to take a look. I see value in being able to review so many incidence that are reported on seeclickfix from graffiti, to illegal dumping issues even traffic accidents and bank robberies. Just think the next time someone on a bike gets hit by a car on chapel they may be able to take they video and successfully lobby for bike lanes. I suppose all that is true without the signs but for the criminal activity its important that they know they are there.

yea BB use this site for what it was made for!!! lol

We have enough people speaking up? Where are they? Did they speak up when that child got shot a few weeks ago in Fair Haven because that would've helped catch some criminals. How about when the gas station attendant on Forbes got shot before dusk...where were these eyes & voices for him? How about when one of my friends got jumped and beaten to within an inch of his life over a bicycle going over the quaint Grand Ave Bridge during the day. Once again no eyes no voices speaking up for him. Just his word and scars to verify the police report but the scumbags are still loose. More cameras please. They can even watch me write my tax check for New Haven.

Personally the signs do not bother me in the least and I believe they *might* have a small deterrent effect; I'd need to research that first. Signs or not I definitely want to see MORE CCTV and in areas other than downtown. Streets are public, far too many crimes happen on them and we need ways to capture and possibly even prevent them. I recently moved from my violent, disgusting neighborhood because it just felt like no one was watching out for the mess that was just getting worse there. A police officer can only drive by so often but cameras are always recording, at least.

Again my concern is less with the traffic cameras and more with the message that the signs send.

And to that point perhaps they are a little overt.

On the contrary, the more surveillance cameras the better! We seem to live in a community where nobody but nobody cares one iota for what happens on our streets. Witness all the thefts in East Rock off all our front porches. Who cares? Who takes the trouble to watch out for those guys following the Fedex/UPScarriers who zone in and steal our delivered packets? Certainly not the cops. They don't give a damn. We have been reporting these thefts to New Haven police for over 2 years. Nothing happens. Does anyone care?

So all strength to surveillance cameras! IF the cops are really paying attention to them ? IF!!! Why would anyone worry about surveillance cameras if their lives are innocent of wrongdoing? Have you ever lived in countries like Greece where everyone is watching out for neighbors? No porch thefts in Greece. It just doesn't happen. So, since we have no comparable community care in New Haven let's go for surveillance cameras -- Absolutely! >

Ben - I know it's difficult to articulate but do you think they're too flippant? Would you prefer something more serious like England's CCTV signs or really just no sign at all?

I would prefer no signs and the cameras only be used for traffic surveillance.

The signs are kind of weird and 1984, especially because they're so disarmingly "friendly" in their layout, but they have a function insofar as they may actually stand in for cameras in certain places. Also got so curious about user BB and now I figured out who he is hahaha. Josh, right on.

This issue was recategorized from Other to Neighborhood News.

We are working to clear out the "other" category in an effort to better manage current concerns.

This seems more like debate rather than a specific service request. I have moved it to neighborhood news category which was created for both City notices and public debate around non service related concerns.

I do suggest that we have seen attitudes evolve around cameras since 2015 and we frequently receive requests for more cameras. This post may warrant closure.

As a business leader in the neighborhood I can say that street crime, specifically drug sales, have gone up dramatically since these signs and the cameras went up. The signs themselves read as a cheeky, passive aggressive reflection of a failed security state that do little more than provide clutter on the pole and remind tourists that downtown New Haven is a nasty place that needs to provide surveillance. This does not make anyone feel safer nor has it proven to reduce crime. Additionally these cameras are unmonitored so any perception of safety is a false one.

We are closing this request due to its historic nature. If this concern still requires attention and you still believe SeeClickFix is a viable tool for its resolution the best way for it to be addressed is for you to create a new request including a current description of what is occurring and what solution you hope to see regarding this matter, citing/linking this request in the details. Thank you for your dedication to improving the quality of life in our community.