Pittsburg approves freeway cameras to crack down on shootings

PITTSBURG, Calif. (KTVU) - The Pittsburg City Council Monday night unanimously approved a plan to install surveillance cameras along Highway 4, in hopes of reducing the number of freeway shootings in the East Bay.

Pittsburg currently has cameras at certain city streets and in public parks.

Pittsburg Police Chief Brian Addington plans to install 5 to 10 cameras on a five-mile stretch of Highway 4, within city limits.

"We feel that quickly getting cameras up on the freeway to cover all the lanes of traffic will be a huge benefit to the citizens of Pittsburg," said Chief Addington.

The city will spend $100,000 on the surveillance system, which will have about 6 cameras.

Inside police headquarters, there is a monitoring, in which video from 120 cameras is recorded and saved.

Officers investigating crimes can often find footage of cars leaving a crime scene.

Police can then track down the car and the suspect, by checking the license plate information.