ANOTHER POLICE SPYCAM FOR DOWNTOWN

Nightclub revellers and City Park loiterers will soon be under the watchful
eye of a surveillance camera.

The video camera operated by the RCMP on Queensway Avenue will be shut off
and a new camera will begin monitoring Leon Avenue and Water Street.

"We're still a one-camera town," said Mayor Walter Gray.

With the Charter of Rights challenge from the federal privacy commissioner
hanging over the RCMP, Gray said the shift in service wasn't designed to
antagonize the situation. It's just focusing on a new hot spot.

"We can watch bad behaviour outside the nightclubs between 2 and 4 a.m. and
see into City Park, a known hideout for drug users and drug dealers," said
Gray.

Cpl. Dan Siebel said the new RCMP camera will only film when someone sees a
crime in progress.

While no official studies have been done on the effectiveness of the
cameras in reducing crime since it was installed in February 2001, Siebel
said they are in the process of putting together records of criminal
activity in the camera's viewing area to judge its effectiveness.

"There are benefits of having it," he said. "It could conceivably save
someone's life."

Gray said the parks department noted there has been a significant drop in
the amount of drug needles found in Kasugai Park, which is also in the
camera's eye.

"It's gone way, way down to almost non-existent," he said. "It's the only
place with a significant reduction. What could be the reason?"

The city had $100,000 budgeted for the camera program and had intended to
fund as many cameras as possible. The set up of the first camera's system
was $35,000 and it was estimated each subsequent camera would cost about
$15,000.