At the end of last month, Louisville officials announced that the city would install dozens of new security cameras that would monitor Waterfront Park in real time. It was a reaction to a string of violence on March 22 in downtown Louisville.Those cameras are now operational.Here's a glimpse of what they'll be able to see:City officials showed them off Friday on the eve of Thunder Over Louisville, the annual fireworks/air show kick-off to the Kentucky Derby Festival that's expected to draw an estimated 600,000-plus to the waterfront.The cameras have the ability to pan and zoom. They'll be monitored around the clock, at first by Louisville Metro Corrections staff. (Though this weekend the monitoring will happen at MetroSafe/EMA.) Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad plans to have his team monitor them in the future.They're connected using a fiber network and span from the Wharf to the University of Louisville's rowing facility on River Road. The city has more than 50 cameras,but not all of them are hooked up yet to this system, said Det. Brandon Lincoln of Louisville Metro Police.Thirty cameras were on the system as of Friday, Lincoln said.The city budgeted $227,000 for the cameras and system.Fischer said the cameras wouldn't prevent crime, but would help.Police are planning more security than ever for this year's Thunder.
