East Aldine to spend $1M to install 60 cameras across community
ALDINE, Texas - Cameras have proven to help fight crime in a way few tools can, so one Houston area community is saturating its streets with them.
Bad guys don't typically like it when they're being watched and in East Aldine, there will soon be dozens of cameras constantly on patrol helping to catch criminals.
"We signed a contract with Flock Security Systems to install 60 cameras here in the district," explains Carlos Silva, Chairman of East Aldine Management District.
The dozens of never-blinking eyes will be set up all across East Aldine. "It's a game changer," adds Lt. Michael Santos with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
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The cameras will read license plates, working along with HPD and other agencies already catching criminals with them, and in real-time tell law enforcement exactly where a wanted vehicle is driving.
"When it goes through the camera, it alerts all of our deputies on our radio and our phones," explains Lt. Santos.
"Oftentimes, people think here in East Aldine it's a place to hide out," Silva adds.
So, this stepped-up security is expected to help cut crime by quickly catching crooks carrying out everything from car thefts to kidnappings. "Even human trafficking, robberies, and juggings, people being followed from banks. It's happening more frequently, and we're trying to tackle that. That one particular crime because that can turn violent in a second," says Santos.
Fighting crime in Aldine is important to the Harris County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant, not because he patrols the area, but because he's from Aldine. "I grew up in this area. Several deputies assigned to me and some of the sergeants also grew up in this area. So, it's special to me," Santos explains.
That's also the case for Carlos Silva, Chairman of the East Aldine Management District. "I was born and raised here in East Aldine. I went to Aldine schools, and I work here," Silva says.
"This was a forgotten community for so long. Look at it now. It's beautiful," adds Lt. Santos.
"This is something that has really transformed this community. It's always been underserved, overlooked," Silva says while showing us the new East Aldine Town Center, which has an amphitheater, park, pond, ducks, and nice walking trails.
"All of the amenities that we bring to the community are great, but if people don't feel safe, it's not worth much," says Silva.
The 60 cameras are expected to cost just under $1,000,000, paid for by the one-cent sales tax the East Aldine Management District collects in the district.
The cameras are expected to be up and running this summer.