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Big Brother watching the streets of downtown Bellingham

by Luke Henning
In Bellingham’s Central Business District, seven surveillance cameras panned along different sidewalks, streets and intersections under rainfall late in February. They followed programmed loops, periodically stopping to zoom in. Small heaters warmed the cameras’ protective casing, evaporating the rain for better visiblity.

Back in the control room at the Bellingham Police Department, Lt. Scott Snider demonstrated the system’s capability by overriding one of the cameras with a joystick. As he shifted the controls, the camera swiveled and tilted in the direction of an old white Ford pickup across the street a block away. He twisted the top of the joystick and the camera quickly zoomed in on the truck, filling the screen with the car’s license plate.

Snider posed a hypothetical situation of witnessing an assault on camera. After seeing the event on video, the camera operator could immediately dispatch officers to the scene and direct them to the suspect via radio, Snider said.

“No, it’s the guy on the left,” he said, giving an example of how an officer could watch the footage and give specific directions and subject descriptions to the officers in pursuit.

“The surveillance system doesn’t get tired and it doesn’t need retirement benefits,” Snider said.

Photo by Luke Henning

A surveillance camera on a street light high above the corner of Holly Street and Railroad Avenue is one of seven the Bellingham Police are using to keep a closer watch over crime and traffic in downtown Bellingham. A small heater inside of the camera’s casing can warm the protective shield during rain to evaporate water, improving the lens's visibility.

Although the police department has yet to assign an officer to watch the footage, Snider said the new technology has already allowed the police department to improve its law-enforcement capabilities, and even catch multiple suspects.

Snider said that by embracing the surveillance technology the police department is taking an Orwellian approach to law enforcement, but that it is completely in line with the law.

“Our hope is that we do disrupt specific patterns of activity,” Snider said. “Railroad (Avenue), for example, has always been a place where rowdies have hung out. If it’s uncomfortable to mill around, or sell narcotics or pee in public, that’s the kind of benefit we’re looking for in this system.” —>