The Ames City Council first considered security cameras in Campustown in 2011. Six years later, they approved the installation.

The recommendation is approved on the caveat that it will be discussed again in early February after the budget is made. The proposal, which had support from the Campustown Action Association and Iowa State Student Government, will cost the city $49,875 initially and $2,880 annually after installation, according to the city.

Chief Charles Cychosz of the Ames Police Department said the cameras will be useful in investigating assaults and understanding how incidents began.

Cychosz echoed the staff report that results are mixed from studies on cameras as a tool for crime deterrence.

Included in the staff report were several concerns from the American Civil Liberties Union. Concerns include that surveillance cameras may influence how members of the public may feel when going out.

Also in the concerns were the possibility that surveillance can be abused, and an assertion that increased surveillance does not decrease terrorism.

A Campustown senator in the Iowa State Student Government, Ian Steenhoek, said he spoke to his constituents about the concerns.

“After speaking with some of my constituents, they seemed rather indifferent. They don’t really mind being recorded a lot,” Steenhoek said.

The cameras will be added on Welch Avenue from Lincoln Way to just beyond the clock tower, and partially down the block either direction from Welch Avenue on Chamberlain Street.

The footage will be recorded and stored by the Iowa State security camera system and will be accessible to police in the event of an investigation.