PRESS RELEASE DETAIL

Office of the Mayor-President


For release: IMMEDIATELY

Release Date: 03/30/2006

MAYOR HOLDEN ANNOUNCES VIDEO MONITORING TO MAKE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SAFER




Homeland Security Grant Funds Security Canopy

BATON ROUGE, LA – March 30th 2006 – Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden today announced a significant milestone in the increased security of Baton Rouge – a video security canopy to view critical infrastructure and Homeland Security targets and speed up emergency response in these areas.

“The safety of the public and businesses of Baton Rouge is a top priority of our administration,” said Mayor Holden. “The bottom line is Baton Rouge just got a lot safer.”

The Mayor said East Baton Rouge Parish Homeland Security Director JoAnne Moreau has been working closely with the DHS to increase the security of critical infrastructure within the parish. Sites which will be monitored include water treatment facilities, electric substations, the natural gas delivery system, railroads, Municipal, Parish and Federal buildings, Department of Public Works facilities, essential transportation routes and the Port of Baton Rouge, among others.

The city will install fifty-eight video cameras throughout the parish, concentrated around infrastructure and sites requiring increased security. The cameras are connected to a central monitoring facility through a wireless system saving significant time and cost in deployment. Authorized agents from the local police departments and homeland security will have mobile access to these live video.

“Through this technology, we can make our parish safer for the public and industry,” Mayor Holden said. “Keeping Baton Rouge secure is critical to the economic stability of Louisiana. As our Capitol City and home to two major universities and many large industries, it’s important that we pursue homeland security funds for East Baton Rouge Parish.”

Moreau stated “[F]irst responders will now have access to critical information prior to arriving on scene, allowing for efficient, quicker and more accurate deployment in serving our citizens.”

Holden commended Moreau for her success in securing the grants to bring the innovative technology to East Baton Rouge Parish. “This is exactly the type of initiative I have encouraged our professional staff to undertake,” Holden said. “The key to making Baton Rouge safer lies in our ability to secure new technology for law enforcement and public works,” Holden said.

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