Wilmington is experiencing a rebirth. With new development on the rise, opportunities for living, playing, and working are ever-increasing. Our vision of Wilmington as a premier mid-sized city in which to live, work, visit and have fun is becoming a reality. However, for this vision to be fully realized, involved parties must first work to dispel the perception that our downtown is unsafe.
THE HISTORY
Downtown Visions spearheaded the formation of the Wilmington Video Safety Partnership, an ambitious, never-before tried project of providing complete coverage of Wilmington’s Business Improvement District. This was made possible with the support, both logistically and financially, of the downtown corporations, local, county and state government, local foundations, the non-profit sector and the Wilmington Police Department. By achieving an unprecedented level of cooperation between all parties involved, the goal of covering the Business Improvement District with video cameras was accomplished. In April of 2001, the Video Safety Partnership network went live.
THE DOWNTOWN SYSTEM
The Wilmington Video Safety Partnership was one of the first of its kind in the United States, covering an entire downtown district, while also being linked with other corporations' video systems. This network allows for the live feeding of events to law enforcement officials.
There are thirty-two cameras covering the BID which are monitored by a trained and dedicated Downtown Visions staff, seventeen hours a day, seven days a week. Overseen by retired Police Officers, the system not only allows for "live feeding" of activity to the Wilmington Police but also for monitoring calls for service received by the police at Downtown Visions headquarters. Any crime or event is then digitally recorded for future prosecutions.
THE IMPACT
The system has assisted the Wilmington Police and Fire departments with more than 10,000 incidents since the system went on line in April of 2001. These incidents include not only criminal acts, but also locating lost children, assisting disoriented persons, locating people in need of medical attention and discovering building fires before they were reported to the Fire Department.
For more information contact Michael Maggitti, Director of Operations, at (302) 425-5371 or mmaggitti@downtownvisions.org.