Should There Be More Cameras Watching Shopping Malls? Prosecutor Asks

How much surveillance is too much?

This is a question the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office is wrestling with in the wake of a number of swatting incidents at local shopping malls as well as other crimes.

Swatting incidents -- where someone makes a threat of a bomb or an active shooter to prompt a full emergency response, which often includes SWAT team members -- have been on the rise in recent months.

In a Facebook post, prosecutor’s office spokesman Al Della Fave said the office is seeking public input on the issue.

“Recent swatting events and review of criminal activity by OCPO within Ocean County has revealed a glaring absence of camera surveillance coverage in areas of large public gatherings,” Della Fave wrote. “We have found that smaller business areas, such as Wawas and 7/11s, have in many cases outstanding coverage, however the larger mall venues are completely absent of coverage in common areas and outside the individual shops.”

The lack of surveillance cameras in those areas, Della Fave said, poses a threat to first responders during an emergency.

“These areas, which we refer to as being completely dark, ... provide no valuable insight into the event or its circumstances in order to further our criminal investigations,” he said.

Surveillance cameras in public places have long been controversial, with studies showing they can be effective in deterring crime; yet there are concerns raised about the potential for civil rights violations. A 2011 study of cameras in Newark showed a decrease in shootings and auto thefts in the areas where cameras were visible. In 2013 surveillance cameras led directly to the arrest and later conviction in the Boston Marathon bombings. But other studies have found some evidence that crimes have simply moved beyond the areas under surveillance.

The prosecutor’s office wants to know whether members of the public believe there should be more cameras in the Ocean County Mall and other shopping areas.

“We’d like to know if this is a genuine concern on behalf of the public. Should we take steps to pressure those who are profiting from your shopping dollars to consider expanding camera coverage in these large public gathering areas in an effort to increase public safety?”

Leave your answers in the comments below and we’ll share them with the prosecutor’s office.

(Surveillance camera sign, by Mike Mozart, via Creative Commons)