Surveillance Cameras Helping University of Kentucky Solve Crimes

Campus police at the University of Kentucky say new surveillance cameras are helping them fight crime.

UK Police Chief Joe Monroe told WKYT-TV that the school has 400 cameras installed so far and another 1,600 are planned.

He says security camera footage has helped police solve two crimes in the last month, and recently caught footage of several suspects trying to set a car on fire. That video led to three arrests.

“We were able to deploy the new camera system and actually research and look at some of the video footage. (We) actually get a good description of the suspects,” said Monroe. “A lot of times you don’t have witnesses, so now we’re able to use the camera system as our witness and gather this evidence very quickly.”

Police say after all the cameras are installed, they hope the system also works to prevent crime.

“For students and staff that are walking on campus, they can call in to us and we’ll be able to follow them on cameras, by the time the project is through,” Monroe said.

UK announced late last year that it was spending almost $5 million to add security features that included the surveillance cameras and new student ID cards.