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PBSO to launch surveillance program in downtown Lake Worth

Posted at 5:50 PM, Nov 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-16 09:38:05-05

Last month, someone smashed the side door at Paws on the Avenue.

“The glass was shattered and when we got here to open to door, the rest of the glass shattered,” said the owner Caroline Clore.

Clore says she was disappointed her surveillance cameras didn’t catch the culprit.  

“It was a wake up call that possibly I needed to expand and enhance our security,” explained Clore.

Helping to accomplish that is why PBSO is launching a new surveillance program in downtown Lake Worth. The agency is creating a database of IP addresses that would link directly to cameras at local businesses.

“We would have been able to see if it was a vandal or somebody that was drunk and just hit the window,” said Clore.

Clore now plans to upgrade her surveillance system to one with an IP address and other specs suggested by PBSO.

“Why not make sure you have a camera that PBSO can use?” said Clore.

Neighbor Rosanna Jimemez, who owns Nature’s Way Cafe, plans to do the same. “It [doesn't] feel safe to be walking in the parking lot in the night,” said Jimemez.

Just last week, the sisters who own the building at the corner of North L Street, installed their cameras with the help of PBSO. 

“They told us exactly where they thought we should put them and how we should monitor them,” explained Ariana Peters.

The Peters sisters aren’t taking any chances. “My sisters and I are going to be here at all times, so we want to feel safe,” said Peters. “We want our tenants to feel safe.”

PBSO says if the pilot program is successful, it hopes to expand it to other cities. 

The agency is aiming to launch the database as soon as possible, even as early as this year. 

Joining is voluntary for business owners.