In Budget Crunch, Mayor Proposes New Security CamerasPaul Hogarthbyline‚ Jun. 23‚ 2008After the Board of Supervisors heard testimony last week about health and human service cuts, the question now is how to restore them. And it won’t be easy with this year’s budget situation – unless we cut the fat out of the Mayor’s budget. The Board can start by cutting $500,000 that the Mayor’s office admits won’t be spent for a while – to install 25 new security cameras when the current ones don’t work. A recent study at UC Berkeley showed that San Francisco’s cameras only reduced petty theft within a 100-foot radius, whereas it had no effect on violent crime. Of course, we wouldn’t be in the budget mess we are in today – if the police officers didn’t get a 24% salary raise last year, putting us more into the red this year. As the Board struggles how to make budget cuts, cameras should be the first to go. |