OB Rag Poll on Police Surveillance Cameras: Only 38% Want Them

In the fifth and final poll of OB Rag readers, we queried people about the plans to install 24-hour police surveillance cameras along the Ocean Beach waterfront.

San Diego Police and at least one OB organization have been touting these plans of putting up cameras from the OB Pier north along the waterfront.

But according to this poll – which ran for a week and had 141 participants – only 38% are ready for the cameras (53 votes). These readers agreed to the option that read:

“We need these cameras. OB has become unruly especially at night when criminal elements act with impunity.”

However, on the other side of the question, a full quarter of the readers who took part – 25% – believed it smacked of “big brother” and “would be an affront to our rights and privacies,” (35 votes).

A fifth of the voters- 21% – didn’t feel the case has been made for them before the entire community, and agreed to this option:

“Those who want the cameras need to make the case for them before the entire community. This has not happened.”

A large group of respondents – 16% – had too many questions about the funding in order to support the camera installations (23 votes). They agreed with this option:

“Where is the money coming from when we cannot get funding for our lifeguard station or library? So, too many questions to support this.”

Everybody had an opinion it seems, as only 1% had no opinion.

This poll does reflect a divided community on this issue. Nearly 40% want the cameras, a quarter are vehemently against them, nearly one in five question the funding, and another fifth don’t think the case has been made for the cameras.

Please note: this poll and the others we ran for a week are not scientific and we cannot know whether those who participated are from OB or the Point Loma area. However the poll results do reflect the opinions of our readers.

Here is the text and results of this poll: