1) Order at least one of these tiny cameras from ebay here. They are $10 with shipping, and so small and discrete they fit in the palm of your hand. (If the link doesn't work for you, just search eBay for “480K 6-LED Night Vision USB WebCam”.) Don't want to be an Ebay member? After hitting "But It Now," just hit "Guest Checkout."
2) Install it. It does not need power and runs off your PC. The driver disk comes with the camera. Then download monitoring software free from http://www.supervisioncam.com. You can run up to four cameras at a time. If you have any trouble, please contact Detective Mike Carambat at 504-400-5214 or mcarambat@cityofno.com. He will come to your home and help you. See below for more specifics on the camera if you want. If you like, you can use your old, unused PC, or even purchase a cheap one just for this. Mac users can search eBay for the best deal on an iSight camera, then download cheap software to run it at http://www.mildmanneredindustries.com/iris/
3) Send an e-mail to QuarterSafe@gmail.com, 8thDistrict@cityofno.com with the subject “Camera” with your name (if you prefer, first or nickname is just fine), phone number, and the exact address of the camera. Already have a camera? Let us know!
That's it.
This cannot wait. Please take the few minutes today and make a difference. And spread the word! This is a small one-time effort to permanently curb crime on your street. Do not miss this opportunity for your safety, that of your loved ones and your friends, as well as the many visitors whose business drives the city forward.
More about the
QuarterSafe
campaign:
This neighborhood’s quality of life begins with the safety
and security of its residents, workers and visitors. And
right now we don’t have that.
We here at QuarterSafe think this is the greatest
neighborhood in America, and yet it's gotten to the point
where many of us are afraid to walk to our cars alone. This
is unacceptable.
We've spent the last few months trying to figure out the
most efficient solution. We talked to private security
firms, the Guardian Angels, citizen patrol groups... but we
found that nothing is as safe, effective and inexpensive as
cameras.
The lack of witnesses allows criminals to terrorize our
neighborhood.
A good, eye-level security video recording is an
unimpeachable, fearless and cooperative eye witness
with total photographic recall.
Many criminals spend their lives committing as many crimes
as possible, every day, all day long to feed their drug
habits. A single GOOD video snapshot at any of those
crimes will stop this “one man crime wave.” A GOOD
video snapshot can take him out of our neighborhood for the
rest of his life under the multiple offender bill.
The city has obtained cameras, but only 16 were allocated
to the 8th District, and few if any of those will go in
French Quarter residential areas. Building a reliable
network of functioning security cameras in order to both
deter and catch criminals who dare to enter the French
Quarter is our goal.
This is not Orwell’s
1984.
This does NOT mean that someone will be watching you at all
times on the street. This ONLY means that if a crime occurs
(God forbid you should be the victim), the police may ask
for permission to obtain specific footage so as to
apprehend the criminal before he can strike again. YOU will
have sole control. This will not facilitate the Quarter
becoming some kind of weird police state, with Big Brother
watching your every step. The cameras, and footage, will be
in the hands of us, the residents, not collectively but
individually.
Our goal is to make the French Quarter impenetrable by
criminals. Every block should have cameras. Detective
Carambat, in charge of security cameras throughout the
city, states that anytime he’s had a video, the
accused
always
pleads guilty.
Please see the
Crime Map here
or visit
NOcrimeline
if you need to be convinced of just how out of hand crime
in our neighborhood has become.
If you aren't comfortable with contacting the police
yourself after a crime on your street, you can always
choose to submit information on-line or on the phone
anonymously to Crimestoppers and get a reward:
http://www.crimestoppersgno.org/tip.php.
Detective Carambat also says he will accept any
confidential video and assure the anonymity of the donor
himself.
504-400-5214 or
mcarambat@cityofno.com.
And remember, nighttime security begins with keeping our
sidewalks lit. Always keep your outdoor lights on.
Fluorescent bulbs are cheap and last years.
(You should be using fluorescent bulbs in your house
anyway, unless you love to throw away money.)
Even without night lights, the lights on the cameras give
them 8' of visibility, enough to cover more than the
sidewalk which is where most street crime occurs. And if
your neighbor gets one, that's 16' together you're
covering.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS LEVEL OF CRIME IN THE QUARTER
WHEN IT CAN BE EASILY MONITORED.
Camera Specifications:
The Camera is so small it fits in the palm of your hand,
and yet it produces images of sufficient resolution to
identify and prosecute criminals, assuming it is placed
effectively, at eye level.
The
software provides astounding coverage with any PC or laptop
with at least 128 MB RAM, a USB port, and any Windows
program. And even with two cameras attached to the same
computer, Detective Carambat reports having no problems
with memory or overheating. It
may slow down older computers a little bit, but not new
ones. Remember, drives and memory are large and cheap these
days. The software is very configurable
too.
The camera's cord is just less than 5 feet. If your
computer is more than that, but less than 16 feet, from the
camera, you may use an unamplified USB cable extension,
found
here on ebay
for just a couple of dollars. If it is more than 16 feet
away, you need an amplified USB cable in order to carry the
data. You can buy an inexpensive 115 ft. one
here,
or a more expensive wireless extender
here.
You can buy inexpensive attachable 16 ft. ones
here on ebay.
Or just search ebay for "amplified USB cable" and select
the size you need.
You
should leave your computer passively running at all times.
You can set the program on motion detection. It will only
use about 200 MB over 2 - 3 days. 72 hours (3 days) of
memory is sufficient time for the NOPD to request the
footage.
If you can't get a computer (or don't have one) anywhere
near the camera location, you can find some other good
security cameras at
http://www.supercircuits.com,
or search
SamsClub.com
for "video security."
With its strong clip, the tiny indoor cameras mentioned at
the top of this page can easily be placed just inside a
window to look out onto the sidewalk. Or better yet, you
can put them in weatherproof enclosures (an ornamental bird
house, false porch light fixture, a glass jar,
Tupperware container, zip lock bag, etc.) and mount them
outdoors. You can decorate it, paint it to match your
façade, put it beside your doorknob, hide it with a
plant... the options are endless. If you absolutely need to
alter your home's exterior permanently to install the
camera, the
VCC application
process is actually quite simple, and the director told us
he didn't foresee approval being a problem.
A tip from Detective Mike Carambat:
"I
found that a tiny piece of 'Light Silver' reflective window
film placed over the lens of the $10 camera eliminates the
'white out' from direct BRIGHT sunlight and the compromise
is barely noticeable in the dark. I bought a rubber
grommet (10 cents) at a hardware store, that fits snugly
over the lens, and used rubber cement to stick a piece
of window filter to it. Then, after it dries, I
put it over the lens. I did it like that to avoid
leaving any glue solvent residue from condensing on the
lens as it dries.
I have some grommets and bits of window film for anyone
whose particular application needs
it.
"I
find that it is often best to set the camera setup software
to 'Outdoor' (the other options being 50 & 60
hz). The window film is often unnecessary if the
camera is looking through a glass window which inherently
reflects a lot of infra red and changes the frequency of
any infra red that does pass through it to a lower
frequency that the video element is less sensitive
to.
"The
whole objective of the 'cheap video' project is that since
nearly everyone has a PC (even us po' folks), for $10
EVERYONE can have a 24 hour eye witness with photographic
memory looking out their window. Just waaaay too
cheap not to do it!"
You can download Detective Carambat's Word document, about
the importance of camera placement,
"Just the Facts,"
here.
And if you're a tech savvy citizen interested in learning
how to assist other folks with their cameras, please let
Detective Carambat know.
Please note: We ourselves have absolutely nothing to do
with any of the aforementioned companies, and stand
absolutely nothing to gain from this process
but a safe neighborhood.
IT'S
TIME WE TAKE CONTROL OF OUR STREETS. LET'S KEEP THE
QuarterSafe!
QuarterSafe.com on Channel 4
News
Some
Feedback...
"This is
an excellent system in every respect and is an easy
Do-It-Yourself project!"
"The
camera and networking of citizens is a great idea!" —Scott
Silverii, MPA, LEM, served 18 years as a police officer
"A
job well done! I firmly believe with the right propaganda
that you are passing along, this project will take off and
all will see a reduction in crime. Once the bad guys
know that there is a 24hr witness to their deeds and it
cannot be frightened away, crime will go down. I saw the
story on channel 10 and loved it. Keep it up. It
works."
—Tommy
Green, Sgt. Retired
From one
resident who just purchased a cheap, used PC to put in his
amoire next to his front window in order to monitor two
cameras: "Wish we'd had them a few nights ago. Both
Dad and I were awake at about 4.30am when we heard a large
caliber gun fire four shots. I was on the phone to
911 in seconds. The woman was asking me how many people
were involved. I told her I couldn't see outside, that I
just heard the shots fired. She asked if anyone was
injured? I said "Hell, I don't know. Send a cop to
find out. I'm not going out there." When we saw
flashing lights Dad and I both went out. Two cop cars
were cruising by. We talked to one for just a second or
two. It was probably a drive-by just shooting in the
air. With the camera we might have had some
images. We'll have it soon!"
And
check this out:
Detective
Carambat has a $10 webcam connected to a PC at the 8th
Police Dist station, viewing the courtyard and street
area of an adjacent café through the station window.
It is doing motion detection recording in high resolution
and is streaming low resolution video to the
internet. IT HAS AN UNNOTICABLE EFFECT ON OFFICE DUTY
FUNCTIONS OF THE PC OR INTERNET ACCESS. Using Ustream's
FREE remote viewing portal, anyone online can now see it!
But please note, this demo is still "under construction."
The idea here is that you too can hook it up at your home
or business and can watch it from anywhere you have an
internet connection. And if you want to, you can give
the police remote access to your cameras over the internet
(password protected if desired). Check it out:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cheap-video-dist8