Hillsboro, Ohio, a town of about 7,000 located in southern Ohio, hosted its annual Festival of the Bells last week. Like every year, the festival celebrating Independence Day featured thousands of people who were greeted with familiar festival sights and sounds—rides, fried food, games and live music performances, but this year attendees were introduced to a new sight.
In conjunction with the Ohio Department of Homeland Security, the Hillsboro Police Department used a ‘Skywatch’ tower, a nearly 30’ tall surveillance structure, to monitor crowds and watch for suspicious, and potentially criminal, activity, reports the town’s local newspaper The Times Gazette.
While the response from attendees was generally positive, some complained about the invasiveness of the system and claimed it threatened individuals’ privacy rights. The structure provides officers a 360-degree view of crowds and can be used as a temporary structure for large events like fairs and sporting events.
“The challenge of preventing car theft and burglary, assault, disturbances, and robbery in crowded areas and public events presents a challenge to security authorities who do not have an appropriate vantage point,” according to an article recently published on the Homeland Security News Wire. “SkyWatch, a mobile surveillance tower…. has demonstrated the ability to deter potential offenders with its imposing structure and surveillance capabilities.”
FLIR, a manufacturing company that specializes in military defense products, says the product is designed to decrease the number of police on the ground, as one officer “can cover an area previously requiring three or more personnel,” according to the company website.
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