South Shore Plaza to Add Security Cameras Next Year

The South Shore Plaza will install 10 security cameras, covering each of its entrances, to aid police in their investigations of crimes at the mall starting next year.

Ongoing discussions with town officials, going back at least two years, have led to an agreement that Plaza owner Simon Malls will add the new security system to help identify suspects involved in shoplifting or other crimes.

There are currently cameras inside stores at the Plaza, but none in the concourse area or in the parking lots, General Manager Rick Tonzi said. Simon used a forensic camera specialist to identify the types of devices to use and where to place them.

Rather than use pan, zoom and tilt cameras, the Plaza will install cameras that sit at a lower angle and point out from every entrance/exit, allowing video to capture the faces of suspects and avoid lag time on camera movement.

The video will be fed to the security office and police substation at the Plaza and also to police headquarters, Tonzi said. The system can store approximately three months worth of data, though Jenkins said it will likely keep on hand less because the video is typically used within a few days of crimes happening.

"We've been very successful with identifying people with video," Jenkins told members of the Committee on Public Safety Tuesday night. "This is a good thing for the Plaza and a good thing for the town."