Criminals used to the blinking blue lights of Chicago's police cameras have learned to move outside their range, says the Chicago Tribune. Soon there will be a greater chance the illegal activity will be captured by an undetectable camera that has a wider range. At least that's the hope of Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis, who says that the department will update its police camera network. "We have blue-light cameras all over the city," Weis said. "I think the next stage we're going to go to is having more covert cameras."
Chicago police first deployed the highly visible, bulky blue-light cameras in 2003 to deter gang activity. They are not abandoning that tactic, but "are looking at ways to take advantage of the latest technology and devise strategies to deploy cameras," said police spokesman Roderick Drew. There have been several upgrades and expansion of the camera network since the first 30 blue lights were installed on light poles in high-crime neighborhoods. The department has deployed covert cameras that are similar to "bubble" cameras seen in businesses that record activity but are not immediately visible to the public.
