Savannah, GA City Council Debates Cameras For Cabs
With the help of a city grant, dozens of electronic eyes may soon hit the road in Savannah.
The Savannah, GA City Council is considering paying part of the cost for cameras to be installed in local taxis in response to an uptick in cab robberies. A proposal to spend $50,000 to subsidize the cost of installing security cameras in taxis was introduced at the City Council meeting held on January 25. Elected officials had mixed opinions on the idea, but cab company owners say it’s critical to public safety.
"The driver needs some protection," agreed Richard Brown, Owner of Silver Diamond and Executive Cabs, a fleet of about thirty cars.
Cameras already are being installed in Savannah’s biggest fleet, Yellow Cab. Larry Green owns the company, which has about seventy-five of the 280 taxis currently on the road in Savannah. Green has installed cameras that also record sound in twenty of them. He took the measure in response to the fatal shooting of his longtime friend James Woods, who was killed at the wheel of his taxi November 19. Police say robbery was the motive. Green paid about $600 for each of the cameras. The idea is to protect both passengers and the driver, he said, but it has been met with resistance from some cabbies.
Yellow Cab driver Atlas Gordon said he’s concerned customers’ privacy may be invaded. "Cab drivers are kind of like counselors," he said. "People just get in the cab and blurt everything out."
Cameras will be optional for Green’s drivers, but Brown said he’ll be putting cameras in all his cars. Under the proposal, the city would pay about half the cost to install cameras in ten cars in each company’s fleet.
Yellow Cab driver Shannon Liles is driving a camera-equipped cab after escaping a gunman in a December 23 attempted robbery in Godley Park. He said it’s a little uncomfortable at times, having an electronic eye mounted on his windshield, but the added security is well worth it.
The city would ask the cab companies to submit applications for a grant and would only allow ten grants per company to make sure all companies could get a share of the funding, said Sean Brandon, the city’s Director of Mobility and Parking Services. Funds for the cameras would come from the city’s Parking Services budget. Monies from that fund come from parking garage fees, fines, and similar fees.
The cameras would be positioned to tape the passengers and the drivers in the cab. The recording equipment would be hidden within the car, Brandon said, with its location often unknown to the drivers themselves.
Mayor Edna Jackson and Alderman Tony Thomas expressed reservations. Alderwoman Mary Osborne viewed it as a public safety and tourism issue, two of the council’s highest priorities.