Next steps for Downtown BIAs camera pilot project [Video]

A pilot project spearheaded by the Downtown BIA has wrapped up, but the cameras are still in use.

An artificial intelligence (AI) camera at The Bitcoin Building on Pelissier Street caught someone trespassing on Monday.

“Once the person trespassed, police were here within, two to two-and-a-half minutes,” said building owner, Ray Blanchard, who is very happy with the response time.

His camera was one of five used for a pilot project to make downtown safer.

Project Green Light ended almost two months ago, but owners, like Blanchard, have kept up the service.

“The Downtown Business Improvement Association (Downtown BIA), we started this program as a pilot project,” Blanchard said. “The city really saw the value in it and now the city has basically taken over the project and they’re funding it.”

The project used ACS Security as the watchdog and provided the city with important data.

“We’ve actually had over …