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A Wise Decision By A Liberal, Democrat Local Government
Tucson has told the Target Corp. thanks, but no thanks to a $100,000 plus grant to install security cameras downtown. Some council members thought that placing cameras downtown and along North Fourth Avenue was an invasion of privacy.Merchants and others said they want the cameras to combat crime and aggressive panhandling. The council "sure didn't" talk about the issue in public, said Donovan Durband, a member of the Tucson Downtown Partnership. Durband noted the grant Target gave to Fort Worth, Texas, instead of Tucson was actually $250,000, not the $100,000 originally offered. "Enough City Council members thought this was 'Big Brother,' so Target took its money to Fort Worth," Durband said. "They haven't owned up to the fact they didn't want it." "It's not fair for the decision to be made behind closed doors," said Margo Susco, owner of Hydra Leather and More clothing store. "Our representatives owe it to us to let us have a say." Susco said she had been asking around for several weeks to determine the status of the cameras, only to find out from a reporter that the grant had been declined. Tucson police Capt. Michael Gillooly also confirmed that Target's money went to another city. "We can't get a whole lot of answers," Susco said of the council decision to pass up the Target grant. The City of Tucson had identified 14 locations for the cameras, which would have been monitored from police headquarters. For example, officers would have been able to pan the cameras over an area and zoom in to capture a license-plate number or a possible suspect. Footage would potentially have been stored for 14 to 30 days and then purged unless it was going to be used for evidence, Susco said. Tucson may not be completely out of the running for a camera grant. Dana Pack, Tucson regional manager for Target, said Target is continuing to court cities for the program, and the city could have another chance for a grant. "There's always that possibility," Pack said. Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-10-01 |
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