LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Little Rock City Board approved 30 new cameras for the Little Rock Police Department, all connected to the real-time crime center.
Those new cameras are a significant step up from some cameras around the city.
"You can tell by looking at the image quality that it's very poor," Major Ty Tyrell said. "It's very difficult. We can see a vehicle moving, but comparing anything on it is tough."
Compare that to new cameras and their better picture, and Tyrell said it's easy to see what's better.
"This is a no-brainer," Tyrell said. "This will help us identify suspect vehicles and understand what's going on in the street much better than the poor quality image."
Tyrell said the new cameras have better nighttime image quality and can move faster. Those cameras will be put up in new spots and replace old ones.
"Specifically going to target some of our parks where we know we've had some problems," Tyrell said. "Then we want to increase our footprint in the River Market and the SOMA district."
The cameras have helped. The real-time crime center helped track and recover 13 stolen vehicles in August.
"Narrows the officers' focus so we can easily identify that stolen vehicle and recover it," Tyrell said.
According to Tyrell, they need to have this new equipment. After all, it's clear how much this can help.
"In order for it to function well, it has to have access to upgraded and current technology," Tyrell said. "This is just one step that we're making sure that the real-time crime center is as efficient as possible."