City of Kyle could soon have cameras going up to help catch criminals

KYLE, Texas - Cameras could soon be going up around the City of Kyle for police to analyze and catch criminals. It’s part of the new Real Time Crime Center at the Kyle Police Department.

Twelve cameras may soon be placed around the City of Kyle.

"We would put them in high accident areas, high crime areas, places where we tend to get a lot of calls for service," Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett said.

Two analysts at the Kyle Police Department Dispatch Center could watch the cameras. Using the bird’s eye view, automated license plate readers, databases for name, property, and warrant searches, they can warn officers about the situation they are about to walk into.

"We're trying to prepare for the worst by using technology to help our response, to give us a faster and more informed response," Chief Barnett said.

In this Real Time Crime Center, Kyle PD plans to use software that allows them to access already activated body-worn cameras and businesses can also share their cameras with the department.

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"When there's an emergency, we can access the camera systems," Chief Barnett said.

This is just one more piece of technology aiding police officers.

"I would say for a mid-sized agency like our PD, it is very forward-thinking," Chief Barnett said.

Not all agree it’s constitutional, though.

"You don't know when the government is watching and so it sort of just leaves people with this, this creepy sense that someone's watching it, but they're not sure when, they're not sure where, and they're not sure what they can do about it," Institute for Justice Attorney Jared McClain said.

McClain said it may infringe on people’s Fourth Amendment right to be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures.

"If most people are going to feel like something is a step too far or like the government is snooping where they don't belong, then that's a pretty good barometer to tell that it's going to violate the Fourth Amendment," McClain said.

Kyle City Council is expected to pass the budget on Tuesday that includes this program, and then it can officially start.