Aventura Police Using Tech to Thwart Hate Crimes During Holy Holidays

As Passover approaches the City of Aventura in South Florida is sending a strong message to would-be criminals hate crimes will not be tolerated and they re using cutting-edge hardware to prove it With a large Jewish population and numerous religious sites Aventura functionaries are stepping up shield measures during the holiday season The centerpiece of their strategy is the Packetalk surveillance system a powerful organization that connects hundreds of cameras across the city into one coordinated crime-fighting tool Source Aventura Smart Surveillance for a Safer City Aventura Police Chief Michael Bentolila demonstrated how the system works monitoring five religious facilities simultaneously from a command center filled with screens Right now I m looking at five different religious facilities with approximately different angle views he noted Packetalk connects existing safety cameras from both society spaces and private properties into a centralized monitoring hub It uses artificial intelligence to learn behavior patterns recognize faces and track suspicious activity It s smart it s intelligent it sees patterns and it can identify faces and features explained Captain Hans Maestre The city purchased the system a year ago and it s now fully operational According to police it has already helped identify and track down subjects in latest criminal investigations Focus on Protecting the Jewish Group As part of their preparations for Passover the department has deployed three mobile camera towers to local synagogues Bentolila says this is a direct effort to deter anyone planning to harass worshippers during the holiday We want to make sure that those living here praying here and visiting here feel safe at all times he declared Though Passover brings heightened awareness the chief stressed that this level of prevention is a year-round commitment I can argue we send that message all year long he added While the growing configuration of cameras may raise privacy concerns Bentolila reassures the general that the city is not trying to create a Big Brother context We re not looking to be Big Brother watching everything he disclosed Voluntary Participation from Residents and Businesses Participation in Packetalk is voluntary Businesses and residents can choose whether to allow police real-time access to their surveillance feeds But law enforcement personnel say that when video is instantly available it can significantly speed up investigations There are plenty of times when a crime will happen and we ll walk into a business or condo and they have video we need Bentolila explained But then we re explained the person who knows how to get it won t be back until Tuesday That kind of delay can cost us crucial time A Model for Other Cities Aventura is the first city in Florida to adopt the Packetalk system and it s already drawing attention Chief Bentolila says he s received calls from other police departments interested in replicating the model With Passover approaching Aventura hopes this proactive use of tool will ensure peace of mind not just during holidays but every day of the year