Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - In the days after three Buffalo Sewer Authority workers were shot, one fatally, along the I-190, some are wondering why cameras along Western New York's highways don't record the activity. We're getting answers from insiders.
NITTEC's Athena Hutchins tells WBEN she has no say in the matter. "Those are Thruway Authority cameras on the 190, and then there's other cameras that are on the DOT and other property that they own," says Hutchins, who says the decision to record is up to them.
Hutchins says there have been some discussions in the past. "I think more at a high level, if they are going to record there. It's really going to be the agencies making those decisions if cameras are to be recorded," notes Hutchins.
She believes it's challenging to get anything from recorded cameras along the Thruway or 190. "It would have to depend on what direction they're facing, because all these cameras can be moved. So it could be looking at the opposite direction of an accident," explains Hutchins. She adds the cameras are on high poles, and they're not zoomed in on an individual car. "I'm not sure how much information could be collected, says Hutchins.
Another issue is cost, says former Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo. "The cost of the technology, and the cost that would be associated with trying to store what is potentially gigabytes worth of data," he says in particular. "Over the course of a day, those cameras are running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there's potentially hundreds and hundreds of those cameras, and it probably comes down to the expense and the amount of storage required to keep all that data."
Rinaldo says quick playback would be helpful. But he also sees another argument. "If you're investing in storing it for 48 hours, why can't [it] be stored for 48 days, or 30 days, or I think you just open yourself up to the argument to be made of why isn't this stuff stored indefinitely," notes Rinaldo, with Vista Security. There's another concern. "I know the amount of FOIL requests we received for the city cameras, the city street poles, was extremely heavy in terms of car accidents and crimes and other things of that nature. And it required a unit within the Buffalo Police Department that did nothing but respond to those," adds Rinaldo, who says that could bog down government administration.
The Thruway Authority was unavailable for comment.
