Guillory to Have City-Wide Surveillance Cameras Installed in Lafayette
According to reports, Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory has enlisted a local, private security company to deploy surveillance cameras around Lafayette, and has reportedly done so without the City Council's knowledge.
Thecurrentla.com reports Guillory has awarded a no-cost contract to local security company Crime Fighters of Louisiana to "mount cameras to city-owned utility poles". Although it is not clear as to what sort of information the cameras are and aren't looking for, the contract obtained by The Current does state the cameras are to be used to help the Lafayette Police Dept. extend their current reach.
The company named in the contract is Crime Fighters of Louisiana, and is owned by local businessman Hewitt Brooks Bernard.
The Current did obtain an interview with Bernard in an effort to obtain more details and to find out what type of information will and won't be allowed to be collected by the company. You can read that interview over at thecurrentla.com.
Now, if you've been extra attentive while driving around Lafayette you've probably noticed clusters of cameras throughout the city for quite some time. Some belong to the Lafayette Police Dept. but, several trust worthy sources say many of these cameras belong to Bernard's company.
Read more and see the contract between Lafayette and Crime Fighters of Louisiana HERE.