Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety

Many cameras. Little focus. Blurry results.

Chicago police bet big on pricey surveillance cameras. Two decades later, the devices do little to solve most crimes.

by Madison Hopkins and Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune September 29, 2024October 24, 2024

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Many cameras. Little focus. Blurry results.

by Madison Hopkins and Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, Illinois Answers Project
September 29, 2024

<h1>Many cameras. Little focus. Blurry results.</h1>
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A police camera attached to a black light pole, at left, watches over the intersection of Chicago and Central Park avenues, one of the oldest camera locations in the city. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

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Tagged: police surveillance, policing and technology

Madison HopkinsSenior Investigative Reporter

Madison Hopkins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist with the Illinois Answers Project, the nonprofit newsroom arm of the Better Government Association. Her past work includes reporting for The Kansas City Beacon and ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. Hopkins holds degrees from San Diego State University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

More by Madison Hopkins

Joe Mahr, Chicago TribuneInvestigative Reporter

Joe Mahr is an investigative reporter who has written about topics ranging from government corruption and court mismanagement to lax policing efforts and questionable lottery tactics. An Ohio University graduate, Mahr joined the Tribune in 2009. He was on a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2004 and on another that was a finalist in 2015.

More by Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune