Three security cameras have been installed in the University Heights to ward off crime and help protect students.
The cameras, installed by UB for a total of $80,000, are in place at the intersections of Englewood Avenue and Bruce Street, Winspear Avenue and Winridge Road and at Main and Custer streets.
"The purpose is to [survey] the street, to keep a recording of all the activity that takes place there," said John Woods, assistant chief of University Police.
The camera footage will feed into the Buffalo Police Department (BPD) camera room, where it will be constantly monitored. This will give police the ability to respond more quickly to a crime, according to Dennis Black, vice president of Student Affairs.
Black said the cameras will discourage criminal activity.
"The blinking blue light should say to everyone, 'Smile, you're being recorded,'" he said. "We're hoping that the first impact would be a deterrent from crime."
The cameras could also provide evidence for investigations.
"If we can't stop the crime maybe we can take the criminal off the streets," Black said.
One camera set up by the BPD already exists at the corner of Main Street and Winspear Avenue.
South Campus is set to get 60 surveillance cameras directly on the campus in the coming month, according to Black.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
