The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office launched a website Tuesday that will let people watch real-time camera footage of various public areas countywide.
It's a digital block club in a sense, dubbed "Neighborhood eWatch," with citizens encouraged to call authorities if they spot suspicious activity. Sheriff's employees in a St. Paul control room can zoom in on the situation and dispatch deputies as needed.
The county already has cameras in parks and other areas, but they aren't watched constantly. In a time of tight budgets, Sheriff Bob Fletcher said, letting the public view the pictures puts more eyes on alert and will help authorities do their jobs.
"We have to use technology to our advantage," he said. "Surveillance cameras are nothing new, but they're not really very valuable if you don't have people watching them."
Critics, such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, have raised concerns about citizens' loss of privacy and question the effectiveness of camera surveillance in deterring and solving crimes.
People do not have to register to view the website, so the Sheriff's Office won't know exactly who is watching.
Fletcher said he thinks most people are accustomed to being under surveillance in private businesses and would welcome others watching out for them via camera.
The county last year set aside $40,000 for the website and cameras.
