In response to increasing concerns about downtown safety, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the Madison Police Department have developed a Safety Initiative Plan. The proposal, which was allotted $100,000 in the mayor's 2007 budget, will be further discussed in a meeting this evening and will eventually face a final vote by the City Council.

According to the mayor's office, the funding will go toward three main goals: reducing street crime during the problem hours of 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., improving police surveillance and participation by the community in deterring crime, and encouraging voluntary adherence to alcohol-related ordinances in drinking establishments.

Seventy percent will help pay for police overtime; the remaining 30 percent will fund neighborhood watch programs, training for bar owners and, most controversially, the introduction of WiFi-enabled security cameras.

While we are pleased with the city's allocation of funds to support more police enforcement, we have several reservations regarding the use of security cameras.

The implementation of security cameras could be a useful method for deterring crime — and well worth the money — but we are concerned with city officials' nonchalant attitude toward what may be considered an invasion of privacy. When we asked Mayor Dave Cieslewicz about this concern, he said he shares MPD Capt. Mary Schauf's view — that we're probably already on camera, anyway, considering the "ubiquitous" nature of private security cameras and cell phone cameras. We would appreciate a more cautious attitude and the realization that not everyone is comfortable with Big Brother watching.

To alleviate these concerns, we hope the proposal will be adapted to include more stringent rules requiring the cameras only be utilized during said "problem hours" and will ensure the tapes be destroyed in a timely manner. Additionally, if the footage is used in an effort to catch a criminal or alert the public of a safety issue, safeguards should be developed to protect innocent bystanders' images from being made public.

If the city adopts safeguards to meet these concerns, we believe the cameras, along with the rest of the plan, will go a long way to improve downtown safety.