Councilman Asks LAPD Access to Traffic Cameras Following Marathon Bombings

Boston's surveillance cameras were critical in identifying the suspects in the bombing of that city's Marathon.

Councilman Mitch Englander, who represents the northwest Valley including Chatsworth, Northridge and Porter Ranch, says Los Angeles police should have access to the city’s real-time traffic cameras to help combat crime.

Englander, who is a reserve police officer, has asked city officials whether the current systems are compatible and how they may be integrated.

“With the rapid capture of the Boston bombing suspects by the FBI using digital imagery and closed circuit video surveillance, the need for an integrated and effective system accessible to Los Angeles city law enforcement has never been greater,” Englander told the Associated Press.

He is sponsoring a motion calling for access to 460 traffic cameras to help catch suspected criminals.

The cameras are located at traffic signals throughout the city and are used to track the movement of traffic.

Police increasingly rely on camera technology, using their own surveillance cameras in high-crime areas and devices like automatic license-plate-recognition systems that use small cameras on patrol cars to scan license plates for stolen vehicles, Englander told the Associated Press.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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