10:12am
Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin today announced that a new, high-tech and durable security camera and loudspeaker system has been installed at Venice Beach. The new security system something Bonin had committed to fulfilling shortly after taking office.
“An estimated 16 million people come to Venice Beach every year to see this quintessential part of Los Angeles,” said Bonin. “An area this important and busy demands top-notch security tools to keep people safe. These new cameras and loudspeakers will help prevent and solve crime and protect people in the event of an emergency.”
Bonnie worked with the City Department of Recreation and Parks and Los Angeles Police Department to install the security cameras at Venice Beach, and the installation of 21 new cameras and speaker system was completed earlier this year. The cameras, which have been installed throughout the public park, are monitored by trained LAPD officers and have already proven effective, assisting officers and detectives with the identification of suspects and helping in the successful prosecution of criminal activity.
“The addition of the cameras along Ocean Front Walk is a welcomed technological improvement and has already proven to be a valuable investigative tool,” said LAPD Pacific Division Captain Nicole Alberca. “This project is an example of our collaborative forward momentum in improving the quality of life and keeping Venice a safe place to live, work and visit.”
The cameras were recommended in the Venice Beach Needs Assessment, a report the City Council commissioned at Bonin’s request shortly after he was sworn-in in 2013. The report identified key security upgrades that would improve safety at the two-mile long public park, which also serves as a residential neighborhood and commercial district. The idea of security cameras in Venice was widely supported, and the Venice Neighborhood Council voted in favor of the camera installation in 2013.
The cameras were donated to the City by Samsung, and Bonin and his staff worked with the Department of Recreation and Parks, LAPD, the City’s Information Technology Agency, Time Warner Cable and Leverage Information Systems to secure the necessary permits and install the system throughout the Venice Beach area.
Several of the cameras have loudspeaker capabilities, which allow police officers to direct and manage crowds in the event of an emergency. In addition to helping prevent and prosecute criminal activity, the cameras are a useful tool in other common situations at Venice Beach, such as locating missing children when they are separated from their families.
