CITY'S OFFICES OF HOMELAND SECURITY, SANITATION PARTNER TO TACKLE ILLEGAL DUMPING
NEW ORLEANS — Today, the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) and the Department of Sanitation provided an update on the use of public safety technology to assist in combating illegal dumping.
As part of the launch of Mayor Cantrell’s CleanUpNOLA initiative in 2018, NOHSEP installed 10 public safety cameras in areas of chronic illegal dumping. Like the network of more than 400 public safety cameras citywide, these 10 cameras provide video feeds to the Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) and allow technicians to offer 24/7 public safety and quality of life support to city agencies.
Identified by the Department of Sanitation based on past dumping incidents, the 10 camera locations span throughout the city, including New Orleans East, the Lower Ninth Ward, Hollygrove, St. Roch, Desire, the Westbank, and Uptown. Due to the remote locations of some of these cameras, motion-sensing technology is employed to aim at the dumping site when vehicle motion is detected.
“I’m proud to leverage the technology housed in the Real-Time Crime Center to tackle not only major crime but also those quality of life issues, like illegal dumping, that have a real effect on our residents,” said NOHSEP Director Collin Arnold.
To date, the 10 cameras have provided relevant footage in 16 instances of illegal dumping. For example, in November 2018, a camera captured 3 individuals dumping the entire contents of a pickup truck at a chronic dump site in Hollygrove (pictured above). In another case in March of this year, camera footage showed individuals in a pickup truck dump a sofa and television at a chronic dump site in Central City. In both cases, license plate information and video evidence, provided by RTCC technicians, helped detectives in the New Orleans Police Department identify suspects and issue illegal dumping summonses.
“The utilization of cameras to identify persons illegally dumping in our neighborhoods has significantly increased our enforcement capabilities. Persons who receive summons for illegal dumping can face fines as well as other more severe penalties. The use of cameras was instrumental in the arrest and conviction of persons recently dumping in New Orleans East. Illegal dumping has serious consequences related to the health of our community,” said Sanitation Director Cynthia Sylvain-Lear.
“Discarded vehicle tires and other illegally dumped items and play an important role in the proliferation of mosquitoes and other pests such as rodents and flies. Of particular concern are tires that are easily filled with water by rain and collect leaf litter, providing an ideal breeding site for mosquito larvae. It has been documented that mosquitoes that transmit disease, such as West Nile Virus, are routinely found in tires. The use of cameras will be another tool that will assist in stopping illegal dumping,” said Dr. Claudia Riegel, Director of the City of New Orleans, Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board.
While the 10 CleanUpNOLA cameras were specifically placed in areas of chronic dumping, footage from any public safety camera in the City’s network can be used to support illegal dumping cases. In fact, the Sewerage and Water Board’s Environmental Affairs Office works regularly with RTCC staff to investigate reports of illegal storm drain dumping. Earlier this year, public safety cameras in the French Quarter provided relevant footage in two such cases in which businesses were improperly dumping waste materials into catch basins.
“The dumping of improper materials like grease and hazardous waste limits drainage capacity during storms and pollutes Lake Pontchartrain,” said SWBNO Environmental Affairs Department Chief Ann Wilson. “Camera footage from the Real-Time Crime Center has proven invaluable in our fight against storm drain dumping.”
About the RTCC
The 24/7 New Orleans Real-Time Crime Center leverages technology to provide critical information to first responders in the field and to assist with investigations of criminal activity or quality of life concerns. In 2018, the RTCC fielded over 3,200 requests for assistance from public safety agencies, provided relevant footage for 70 percent of requests, and saved an estimated 3,000-plus in NOPD manpower hours. The Crime Center was created as a part of the 2017, $40 million, Citywide Public Safety Improvement Plan and is housed in the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
About CleanUpNOLA
CleanUpNOLA is Mayor Cantrell’s initiative to better coordinate City services for a cleaner New Orleans. Several City departments have partnered on this effort: Sanitation, Public Works, Health, Safety and Permits, Code Enforcement, Neighborhood Engagement, Park and Parkways, Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, and the Mosquito, Termite & Rodent Control Board. These City departments work together to reduce and deter litter and blight, promote a healthier environment, improve access to City services, and expand community education and engagement.
# # #
|
