Abbeville Councilman wants security cameras throughout Abbeville

Could placing security cameras in different spots in Abbeville help in the fight against crime?
Abbeville City Councilman Wayne Landry, District D, said he feels that doing so could have a positive effect.
After returning from the Louisiana Municipal Association Convention earlier this month, Landry brought that idea to the table.
“I would like to see us get a couple of cameras to wade off undesirables,” Landry said during a recent council meeting. “I would love to have a couple of cameras on telephone posts to try to weed out the crime rate. I have read studies that it brings the crime rate down.
“I ask that some thought be given to that.”
Abbeville Police Chief Tony Hardy said his thought is favorable to the idea.
“Most definitely,” Hardy said. “That’s more eyes out there. The more eyes you have out there, the better.”
Erath Police Chief Gerald Hebert can attest. With the help of a grant, Hebert purchased nearly 30 cameras five years ago.
“It’s like adding additional police officers on the street,” Hebert said. “It has been fantastic.”
The cameras allow police departments to obtain a 360-degree view of a given area.
“You can zoom in and out and go wherever you need to go,” Hebert said. “We don’t have to watch them 24 hours a day. We only go back and look at them if there is an incident.”
As is the case when deploying officers for shifts, using the cameras requires strategic planning.
“You have to use them in the right areas,” Hebert said. “I set them up in town by all of the businesses to protect the people who go to those businesses. It all protects the area after the businesses close.”
The difference has been clear.
“The crime rate for the businesses has been almost zero,” Hebert said. “Word got out that there were cameras patrolling the area. We also put one in city park. We used to have problems with vandalism. We made a couple of arrests for that after setting up the cameras.
“We don’t have those problems anymore.”
The largest city in the area is also looking to possibly utilize cameras. The Lafayette Police Department requested $700,000 to monitor crime in some higher crime areas.
Kenneth Boudreaux, the councilman who is pushing for the cameras in Lafayette, said he feels the cameras could help both prevent and investigate crime.
“It can definitely help in the process of solving crimes,” Hardy said. “The cameras could definitely be a huge tool in that process.”
A price tag anywhere near what the Lafayette Police Department is seeking for around 35 cameras would be a big hurdle for the department in Abbeville.
“Erath got theirs on a grant and I know the chances of us getting it would be slim because of the difference in size,” Hardy said. “If we could get them, though, I think they could make a huge impact.”
Again, Hebert can certainly speak to the cameras’ effectiveness.
“I am a firm believer in them,” Hebert said. “The camera won’t lie and it doesn’t sleep.”