With 1,500 registered cameras, the center is aimed to help in emergency response and crime prevention
The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriffs Station presented its new “Real Time Watch Center,” a new pilot program aimed to help LA County Sheriff’s Department keep citizens safe.
LA County Sheriff’s Department, city, and county leaders came together to cut the ribbon for the new “Real Time Watch Center” at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. Capt. Jennifer Seetoo thanked her department chiefs for their support. Seetoo also described the need for law enforcement and how this new technology.
“Why a real time watch center? When you look across the nation, and you see the need the law enforcement going up, … we can’t hire enough law enforcement, so now you present a gap and how do you fill that gap, i believe that we fill that gap with technology, and that is the ‘Real Time Watch Center,'” Seetoo said.
Sheriff Luna also said this program can benefit other counties.
“This is a way we keep a community safer, not only from a crime perspective but all the challenges that we deal with from fires, landslides, mudslides, and everything else,” Luna said.
Seetoo said building relationships is essential to policing. She also acknowledged the guests in attendance.
“What we’re doing in building relationships within the community, I see business owners here, they trust us to livestream their cameras in, so that’s what we’re really trying to do is build relationships in order to protect the community,” Seetoo said.
Earlier this year, the department launched its camera registry program. When an incident occurs, home security cameras are one of the tools law enforcement uses to identify criminals and solve investigations.
Businesses were able to take community security one step further by giving the Los Angeles County Sheriff’sDepartment direct access to their camera feed in case of a nearby emergency.
The real-time systems can allow authorities to monitor private surveillance camera footage if residents or businesses choose to grant the police access to it when requested.
“Immediately we can look at the cameras, and we can tell our deputies, this is what we see, a burglary is happening now, so that way, we let them know if there are any weapons, that way deputies get their safer, quicker and protect the community,” Seetoo said. “Currently, we have over 1,500 cameras that are registered, and over 400 that are actuallyintegrated; in the next couple months, we’ll, probably have three times as many. Some are updating their camerassystem and integration, so we’re really excited to really see the support of the community.”
Seetoo also acknowledged the fire department and safety personnel who were in attendance.
“We must look at public safety differently, and I believe that this is one way that we can look and do public safety differently,” Seetoo said.
Malibu members in attendance included Michel and Ellen Shane, Public Safety Commissioner Keegan Gibbs, City Manager Steve McClary, Mayor Doug Stewart, and Councilmembers Paul Grisanti and Marianne Riggins.
“It’s a great way, as Captain Seetoo said, to build partnerships in the community, I think that’s a great secondary benefit that I think anybody else envisioned as part of this program and I think it’s great to see the community really taking the role in their own security and working with the police department,” McClary said. “I can’t even imagine what great of a tool it would be an event of a disaster response, that plus the drones, it’s a great to see the move to use as much technology as possible in a way that is really going to improve safety and make it easier for the community to direct a call.”
That same morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1297 into law. The new legislation, authored by Senator Ben Allen (D-Malibu), authorizes the installation of speed cameras in Malibu to combat the persistent issue of excessive speeding on this notorious stretch of highway, which has been the site of numerous traffic accidents and fatalities.
Many leaders who spoke, such as County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Senator Ben Allen, and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, also acknowledged the passing of Senate Bill 1297.
“Keegan I see you — I see you Chris Frost, I see you Michel (Shane), it was a community effort and really all of us coming together,” Seetoo said. “That’s where the magic happens, when our elected officials, our government servants and the community comes together with one goal, thats where the magic happens, so we can’t do our jobs without you.”