Montgomery County homeowners could get free security cameras in proposed plan
Montgomery County homeowners could get free security cameras in proposed plan
Cold hard cash could be offered to folks in Montgomery County if they install security cameras on their homes. County officials Monday held hearings on a plan to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to help buy home security cameras, but they won’t go everywhere. FOX 5’s Tom Fitzgerald is in Rockville with all the details.
BETHESDA - Montgomery County officials gathered Monday to hold hearings on a proposed plan to pay homeowners to install security cameras on their property.
Montgomery County's council is considering setting aside a budget of up to a quarter of a million dollars to provide grants to participating homeowners. Under this plan, eligible homeowners could receive up to $1,250 to cover the installation costs of five cameras on their properties. The cameras would be the property of the homeowners, and individuals would not be required to surrender video footage unless necessary for an ongoing investigation.
The proposal is a response to the alarming surge in violent crimes and carjackings witnessed within the county, and would target areas identified by Montgomery County Police as crime hotspots or "priority areas."
"This isn't the world I grew up in, so I'm watching my back all the time whether I want to or not." expressed one resident regarding rising crime in the area.
Homeowners and businesses would apply for the camera grant, and police would decide if the proposed camera location is in one of their "crime hotspots," according to police.
"We're looking at priority areas because obviously, we have the money for about 1,000 cameras, which sounds like a lot until you start dealing with all the geographic areas of Montgomery County," said Councilmember Sidney Katz.
"When we talk about our hotspots in regard to the large number of crimes we have, particularly theft from autos, stolen autos, vandalism, we're looking at robberies as a prime example, robberies and shootings as an example as well," said Chief Marcus Jones.
Featured
Montgomery County police relaunching stolen car task force
The revised car theft unit will zero in on hotspots like Silver Spring, Wheaton, and Bethesda.
Jones believes that if approved, the proposed plan could serve as a proactive measure to prevent crimes from happening and assist in solving criminal cases.
But opinions regarding the potential effectiveness of installing more cameras in high-crime areas were mixed among residents. Some individuals expressed the need to remain constantly vigilant in today's world, while others raised concerns about the invasion of privacy caused by surveillance measures.
"You'd think that surveillance would always help to a degree – until it gets a little too intrusive," said one resident to FOX 5.
Other residents highlighted that the costs associated with enhancing home security go beyond the grant amount provided.
"It costs a lot more than $1,200 because we've put stuff on the house that cost a lot more than that," said another resident.
The plan successfully passed a committee vote Monday and will now proceed to the full council for further deliberation. Montgomery County Police aim to have the program operational by September 1.