BC City Commissioners vote 6-2 in favor of downtown security cameras

BATTLE CREEK, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – The Battle Creek City Commission voted 6-2 Tuesday night in favor of installing 15 security cameras at five locations in the downtown area.

The Battle Creek Enquirer reports the vote followed 30 minutes of discussion.

The cameras are part of a five-year pilot project with Knight Watch of Kalamazoo. The city will use over $262,000 from its Capital Improvement Fund.

Some have called the cameras an invasion of privacy that would target the homeless and people of color.

But Battle Creek Police Chief Jim Blocker told commissioners that they want the cameras to tell them what is going on because the department does not have the manpower to watch these places all the time.