The familiar white glow of the Cy’s Roost sign, the distinct smell of superdog and the buzz of busy atmosphere despite nearing two in the morning – all attributes unique to the place many ISU students call home on weekends; Welch Avenue. 

Ames Police is working to add another feature to the area – surveillance cameras.

Since June of 2011, Ames Police have been working on a project to install a number of surveillance cameras on Welch Ave.

Sergeant Rory Echer has been working on the case since it was first brought up in 2011 at a city council meeting.

Meeting with the Student Affairs Commission and other stakeholders throughout the year, including ISU students and venue owners on Welch Ave, Rory said there was general support for the project. The main concern was the amount of access police would have to the video.

Echer said the police did not intend to keep a continuous watch of the area, but to use it as an investigation tool, only accessing the video after a crime as been reported.

“The cameras will be installed for public safety, not public surveillance,” Echer said.

In a conversation with GSB President Jared Knight, Ames Police Chief Charles Cychosz indicated that he had no intentions of having an officer monitoring any video feeds in real-time.

Four cameras were installed on Welch Ave during Veishea and have been stationed ever since, for a testing period. Cameras are stationed at Lincoln Way and Welch as well as Chamberlain and Welch. During this time the video has not been monitored, Echer said. However, they were recently used to assist in identifying a suspect involved in an assault case that took place on Welch Ave.

Many venues and apartment complexes already use their own private surveillance cameras to prevent burglary and vandalism, two aspects the Ames Police expect to decrease as well.

“It’s also important to understand that the decision isn’t whether to install cameras in campustown, but whether to install Ames police cameras in campustown; there are dozens of private security cameras in the area already,” Knight said.

Echer speculates that with the addition of the cameras, Welch Ave will become a safer environment overall.

Collegiate Panhellenic Council President Laura Wooster considered the cameras a positive addition to Welch Ave as long as the video was not consistently monitored.

“I hope the potential addition of security cameras to the Campustown area increases the safety of the area for all who come through,” she said.

In addition to the camera installation, the lighting on Welch Ave may be altered as well. Echer said the current state of the lamps produce a yellow glow, making it difficult to accurately identify colors, a necessity for positively identifying suspects.

A change to LED lighting is also being proposed in order to make the camera footage as accurate as possible.

“The two go hand in hand to be a successful project,” Echer said.

If the project is approved at the Ames council meeting tonight, the project bidding process will begin immediately for the cameras and lighting fixtures.