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By Doug Breehl-Pitorak, Cleveland Documenters
As of Dec. 1, 2021, there were 1,206 Safe Smart CLE security cameras installed throughout Cleveland, according to Larry Jones II, Assistant Commissioner of Public Safety IT.
The cameras, installed as part of an initiative launched in 2018, have sparked a lot of questions in the meetings Cleveland Documenters have covered over the last 15 months. Two common questions included the number of cameras and their locations.
Cleveland Documenters put in a public-records request for the locations of the Safe Smart CLE cameras. The city said the requested information cannot be released according to these exemptions from public-record laws:
You can find the full Ohio Revised Code the city referenced here.
Cleveland Documenters did obtain records showing the number of Safe Smart CLE cameras in each city ward, a question asked by Council Member Brian Kazy, Ward 16, in a Safety Committee meeting last year. Documenter Joyce Shaw had the notes.
You can find a breakdown of the number of Safe Smart CLE cameras in each Cleveland ward here.
The cameras are mostly located around the city’s 22 recreation centers, according to Jones, who added that the department does not take a “by-ward” approach to camera installations.
That rec-center emphasis is mentioned in a 2018 press release about the Safe Smart CLE initiative, which said the effort aims to combine the installation of new LED streetlights with smart-camera technology to make “neighborhoods safer and more sustainable.”
What’s next?
More Safe Smart CLE cameras are coming. Cleveland City Council approved about $4.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds last November for installing the next phase of cameras.
Documenter Laylah Allen live-tweeted the discussion about the funding in an Oct. 13, 2021, Safety Committee meeting. The ARPA funds would cover a projected 429 new cameras, Director of Public Safety Karrie Howard said then.
The city has a request-for-proposal out now for the next phase of camera installation and should have a contract in place by May, according to Jones.
You can find all meeting notes and live-tweet threads done by Cleveland Documenters here.