Need for Surveillance Cameras on Longboat Key

More than a year ago I introduced the idea of mounting license plate surveillance cameras at each end of the island as a means of both identifying people who commit crimes on our island and as a crime deterrent. The idea being that if criminals know they are going to be caught if they come onto Longboat, the  surveillance cameras will deter crime. Many communities already use this technology successfully.

During the past nine months there have been 6 burglaries in the village at the north end alone. Given the small population of the village this comes out to be 3 times the national average.


I introduced this concept at a commission meeting and the town accepted the responsibility of researching surveillance cameras and reporting back to the commission for possible action and funding if necessary. That was more than a year and many break-ins ago.


I spent two decades in the field of “embedded systems” and “process control and monitoring” which means roughly autonomous systems that run by themselves and perform complex tasks. My company in Nevada deployed thousands of such units in casino gaming devices.


After doing a little research, I believe it is possible to assemble from “off the shelf” equipment a surveillance system that will record license plates and other movement by pedestrians and people on bicycles, day and night, for under $1,200.00 per module. This could include cameras at the bridges as well as at each fire station where there are convenient overhead mounting possibilities.


Sub $1,200.00 systems might be affordable for numerous homeowner associations. Due to our street layouts, surveillance cameras might be installed where streets branch off of GM, protecting an entire subdivision with a single camera unit.


The surveillance equipment uses little power and would employ a small solar panel and backup battery as a means of free-standing operation and ease of deployment.


The systems I have in mind would record a running two month window of activity and require no connection to a central processing center. Using an embedded wifi capability, a periodic health check could easily be carried out by our police from inside their vehicles.


When a crime has been committed the surveillance modules can be accessed via wifi enabled notebook computers in a police or other city vehicle for processing.


If no crimes have occurred there is no need for data collection in “real-time”. It is only when an event has taken place that data retrieval needs to occur.


Low cost embedded surveillance modules may be a cost effective means of deploying perhaps ten to twenty monitoring points on the island to assist law enforcement, which cannot be everywhere at once.


I believe a network of surveillance cameras might deter crime and enhance our community image as one of the safest municipalities in the world. The City of Sarasota is deploying dozens of these cameras throughout the city. We need to take care of our own and as rapidly and as inexpensively as possible.


Use the pause button on the video below to see how well these inexpensive surveillance cameras read license plates even in the rain at night.