Application[edit]
In September 1968, Olean, New York was the first city in the United States to install video cameras along its main business street in an effort to fight crime.[11] Another early appearance was in 1973 in Times Square in New York City.[12] The NYPD installed it in order to deter crime that was occurring in the area; however, crime rates did not appear to drop much due to the cameras.[12] Nevertheless, during the 1980s video surveillance began to spread across the country specifically targeting public areas.[10] It was seen as a cheaper way to deter crime compared to increasing the size of the police departments.[12] Some businesses as well, especially those that were prone to theft, began to use video surveillance.[12] From the mid-1990s on, police departments across the country installed an increasing number of cameras in various public spaces including housing projects, schools and public parks departments.[12] CCTV later became common in banks and stores to discourage theft, by recording evidence of criminal activity. In 1998, 3,000 CCTV systems were in use in New York City.[13]
Experiments in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s, including outdoor CCTV in Bournemouth in 1985, led to several larger trial programs later that decade. The first use by local government was in King's Lynn, Norfolk, in 1987.[14] These were deemed successful in the government report "CCTV: Looking Out For You", issued by the Home Office in 1994, and paved the way for an increase in the number of CCTV systems installed. Today, systems cover most town and city centres, and many stations, car-parks and estates.