The Dominican Republic will start working with a modern system of ‘smart’ cameras that will support the 911 system that goes into service in February. Part of enhanced efforts to improve safety in cities, the system is aimed at prevention and pursuit of crime.
Some 1,306 cameras will be installed on 375 key intersections in Greater Santo Domingo. The cameras will be monitored from Police Headquarters. Donations from Taiwan and the United States are funding much of the installation of the equipment. The cameras can read license plates, draw up information on the owner of the vehicle in record time, as well as how many people are travelling in the vehicle.
The 911 system will have a modern fleet of ambulances and radio communications and other technological advances. Recently the Chief of the National Police, Major General Manuel Castro Castillo, told Diario Libre that the modern Urban Vigilance system would allow the police to provide a rapid response to any criminal situation that occurs on the streets of Greater Santo Domingo. The Urban Vigilance System has the capacity to place virtual fences and if someone were to leave a package in a restricted area, such as a school, barracks, hospitals, apartment buildings and other sites selected by the authorities, the system will send out an automatic alert.
According to the Urban Vigilance System Manual that was shown to Diario Libre reporters, virtual fences may be placed by the operators at given times. “If for example there is a virtual fence and someone crosses it, the system immediately sends a red alert and we, from here at Police Headquarters, order several patrols that are near the fence to arrive at the scene to see what has happened,” said one of the operators. The police will have their own wireless network with 12-hour electricity backup in case the area where the camera is operating is affected by a power cut.