Philadelphia plans to install 100 new security cameras near schools impacted by gun violence

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia officials announced more than $1 million in funding on Monday for 100 new security cameras to be placed in neighborhoods near schools that have high rates of crime.

The district, in partnership with Philadelphia police, the mayor's office and the city council, plan on installing the cameras on frequently traveled routes near 15 city middle and high schools.

"We need to create a culture of if you're going do something, somebody might be watching you," said Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez.

The city announced the initiative in front of John Bartram High School in Southwest Philadelphia, where a 17-year-old senior was shot and killed after leaving school in January.

Officials hope these cameras will be a deterrent to crime.

"Not only will help us prevent crime, but will create an environment where people feel a little more safe," said City Council President Darrell Clarke.

The schools chosen include Edison/Clemente School, Mastbaum High School, Bartram High School, South Philadelphia High School, Fels High School, Lincoln/Meehan/Propel, Dobbins High School, Ben Franklin High School, Duckery Elementary School, High School of the Future, Frankford High School, Kensington CAPA, Northeast/Wilson School, Roxborough High School, and Harding Middle School.

"Those schools were chosen based on information regarding shootings that have taken place in the area around those schools," said Craig Johnson, the deputy chief of school safety for the School District of Philadelphia.

The cameras will tie into the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center, where Philadelphia police have real-time feeds to monitor crime.

"We hate to think that we have to have this environment where we have to have this coverage but it's a simple reality is that people in the neighborhoods in the city of Philadelphia, they want us to do something," said Clarke.

He adds that shootings involving teenagers are a driving force behind the program. Apart from the homicide near Bartram, in May, a teen was shot at 51st and Columbia after leaving school. The next week, three teens were shot leaving class at Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter.

This year, 94 Philadelphians under the age of 18 have been shot.

"Youth being shot or being murdered almost on a daily basis doesn't even garner that much attention. It's almost like it's expected or normalized and that's a really sad place to be," said Johnson.

The Action News Data Journalism team says there have been 4,254 serious incidents that happened in the Philadelphia school district this year.

Both the city council and police say to effectively monitor 100 additional cameras, they will need to hire more analysts, which will be addressed in the upcoming budget.