For Immediate Release
Baton Rouge Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Foundation, in partnership with SafeBR, provides updates on Business-Led Page/Rice Camera Initiative
Initiative continues to honor victims’ families and promote business participation in crime-prevention
Baton Rouge, La. (March 1, 2023) – The Criminal Justice Foundation, with Baton Rouge Law Enforcement and SafeBR, provided updates and progress made since the launch of the Page/Rice Camera Initiative.
The initiative, launched in 2022, named in honor of victims three-year-old Devin Page, Jr. and LSU student Allison Rice, entails partnering with Project NOLA and E-South Technologies to install high-tech crime cameras on a business or surrounding property in high-crime areas. The cameras, installed by Project NOLA, are linked to local real-time crime centers to be easily viewed by the Sheriff and Police departments and made accessible to the business and law enforcement after an incident occurs.
Law Enforcement leaders, public officials, media, businesses, and organizations in support of the Page-Rice Camera Initiative gathered this morning at the Triple S Food Mart, where a high-tech camera was recently installed, to hear updates on the Initiative’s progress since it launched in 2022 and to better understand how these cameras will support efforts to reduce violent crime in our city and parish.
To date, over 50 cameras have been purchased and are being placed in multiple Metro Council districts thanks to over $200,000 in funds raised in support of this effort! The Baton Rouge Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Foundation would like to thank our initial sponsors to this effort and look forward to working with many more in the future.
“The Page/Rice Camera initiative is becoming a great tool for law enforcement. This is a community-led effort that is only growing by the day” said Clay Young, Owner of Clay Young Companies and Chairman of The Baton Rouge Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Foundation.
Proven to reduce violent crime, any business can opt-in to purchase a camera for its property, or it can donate funds for other businesses in high-crime areas to be gifted with the technology. The Baton Rouge Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Foundation is accepting requests to be considered to receive a camera at no cost through its grant program and collecting donations for additional community cameras at brcollab.com/pagerice.
The camera program by Project NOLA is the first and only national real-time crime camera program that monitors and analyzes crime camera video and proactively brings high-intensity illegal drug distribution operations to the attention of law enforcement. Additionally, the camera definition is up to 156 times greater than legacy crime camera programs and up to 16 times greater than Genetec-powered programs, and costs are 1/100 of the typical crime camera program.
The installation cost for a camera through the initiative is $2,600, and the proceeds will go towards funding additional cameras in high-crime areas. The cost to host a crime camera varies depending on the geographical location and historical crime trends. After the initial installation, average operating costs are estimated to be around $500 annually and camera recipients must provide electricity and internet connection.
Learn more about the initiative and apply for, purchase, or donate a camera at brcollab.com/pagerice.
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For more information, contact:
Ethan Bush at (225)456-3819 or ethan@thirtythreestrategies.com
About the Page Rice Camera Initiative
Founded in loving memory of Devin Page Jr., Allie Rice, and all lives lost to senseless gun violence. The Page/Rice Camera Initiative is partially funded through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this initiative (including, without limitation, policies, procedures, and any services or tools provided).
SafeBR is a coalition of aligned public, private, and non-profit organizations dedicated to making Baton Rouge a safer community. SafeBR updates, crime statistics, funding priorities, and a comprehensive list of leaders in support of SafeBR can be viewed by the public at safebr.org.