Mount Bonnell is a popular tourist spot in Austin, Texas due to its sweeping views. Naturally, it's also a hotspot for car burglaries. Last year, Austin Parks and Recreation installed cameras to deter thieves. Thing is, the cameras weren't real. And guess what, they didn't help. Maybe they skimped by not getting the more expensive dummy cameras with the flashing red light? From KXAN:
In September when we initially reached out to her office, [city councilmember Alison] Alter said they were looking into HALO cameras, but so far none have been added.
"We have signage up now that talks about not leaving your bag in your car and that is one important piece," Alter said. "It is not the only piece and we want to make sure we have the patrols and that we are arresting folks.
Austin Parks and Recreation told KXAN after a rash of incidents in July, August and September, it installed dummy cameras at Mount Bonnell as a theft deterrent.
The department told us the fake cameras were later removed since crime did not decrease.
image: "Fake security camera in the Museum of Bad Art in Dedham, Massachusetts" by Kafka Liz (Public Domain)
