New surveillance systems help curb crime in Amsterdam

Shootings, vandalism and thefts rocked Amsterdam and its city parks last year, forcing local politicians to act.

“The statistics clearly show that with the installation of these camera systems, crime has decreased by about 25 percent,” said MP Angelo Santabarbara.

Thanks to a new $55,000 grant secured through Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara's office, the Amsterdam Police Department received a new, state-of-the-art surveillance system. The system was installed in Veterans Park and Shuttleworth Park, as well as other areas of the city, to prevent future crimes.

“The time it normally takes to go through each video second by second is very labor intensive. If we can narrow it down and find the suspect faster, we will definitely be able to catch him faster,” said Amsterdam Police Chief John J. Thomas.

According to experts, cutting-edge AI technology uses advanced techniques.

“The AI ​​element runs 24/7, it watches the camera feeds, tracks all the information and creates a database. All of those data points become searchable elements. It never makes mistakes, it catalogs every event 24/7,” said Matthew Patch, systems engineer at Shepard Communications.

Everyone hopes that technology will lead to a safer community for all.

“Time is of the essence, every minute counts, every second counts,” said MP Angelo Santabarbara.

Officials say the technology will also be useful in locating missing children or adults at risk, and not just in criminal incidents. The footage will be stored for 30 days. The surveillance systems are already in use in several areas of the city.