APD installs HALO cameras on 6th Street

AUSTIN (KXAN) - After a test run on Rundberg Lane, Austin police are now installing cameras in the Sixth Street area in Downtown Austin.

Twenty-seven cameras will be placed between 5th and 7th streets from Interstate 35 to Congress Avenue.

Senior Police Officer Michael Schultheis said four Higher Activity Location Observation (HALO) cameras placed at the Rundberg and I-35 intersection in August have been a success.

“We are seeing some quick, positive results due to the cameras,” said Schultheis. “It has been successful leading to the capture of an individual involved in a shooting in the area.”

However, he admits Sixth Street is a whole different animal.

“At any one time, you will have an excess of 20,000 people in the area,” said Schultheis about Sixth Street. “It is a huge difference in dynamics.”

With so many people in the area on weekends and as many as 50,000 on special weekends -- like the upcoming Halloween celebration -- catching suspects in illegal acts was difficult.

“You would either have to have it happen directly in front of you or get flagged down by bouncers," he said.

But the cameras allow police to monitor almost the entire area from the real-time crime center and serve as a police force multiplier, according to Schultheis.

“It is going to send a message [that] we are watching even in large crowds, and we will be able to identify problem areas and respond quickly and efficiently,” said Schultheis, who also said there are few spots in the area where cameras will not be able to see.

Problematic areas such as the I-35 underpass will be monitored by more than one camera.

Schultheis said approximately 17 of the cameras should be installed by the weekend, the last full weekend that falls before Halloween on Oct. 31.