This story was originally published by New York Focus.
The New York City Police Department is working to use network connections established under the three-year-old Big Apple Connect program to link cameras at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments directly to the NYPD’s central digital surveillance system, a police department spokesperson confirmed to New York Focus. Cameras at one development were linked last Wednesday, the spokesperson said, and 19 more are set to follow.
Enabled by new modems and routers installed in NYCHA common spaces, the network connections allow the NYPD to feed CCTV footage directly into its citywide surveillance software systems, stream it remotely in real time, and review footage beginning 30 days prior to an incident — all without having to ask NYCHA for permission. Previously, the police department could only access footage from cameras operated by NYCHA by physically visiting the housing authority’s CCTV control rooms, upon request, for the purpose of investigating incidents…