- One man was stabbed to death in Atlantic City on New Year's Day, and another man was found bleeding to death near the boardwalk.
- The city is addressing security concerns by implementing a $5 million state-funded program to install additional security cameras.
- The recent death toll follows the trend of an increase in serious crimes in 2023 compared to the previous year, including an increase in murders.
One man was stabbed to death and another was found bleeding to death in Atlantic City on New Year's Day. The gambling resort is now adding hundreds of new surveillance cameras to the thousands already electronically monitoring the busy tourist destination.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that at 6:15 a.m. Monday, police responded to a 911 call that a man was found bleeding on the street near the beach and later died at a hospital. A little more than an hour later, police received a second 911 call about a 22-year-old man found dead from multiple stab wounds near the boardwalk.
Officials said the deaths do not appear to be related and no arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon. But incidents like this have prompted calls for new cameras as calls for increased security at gambling resorts, which are visited by 27 million people a year, grow.
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In October, the city announced a $5 million state aid program to install 200 cameras, each with five independent lenses, across the city. Police Chief James Sarkos says this is like deploying 1,000 new cameras to supplement the 3,000 public and private cameras already in operation.
On November 16, 2023, a video monitor inside the Atlantic City, New Jersey Police Department's surveillance center shows footage of a fire that broke out the day before outside a resort casino. The city plans to add hundreds more surveillance cameras to the 3,000 already in place electronically monitoring the seaside gambling resort. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
Although 48 blocks is not enough to cover every corner of the city, the vast majority of Atlantic City will be covered when the project is completed later this year.
But the stakes are high for resorts that rely on tourists and their money. If gamblers, vacationers, etc. don't feel safe in Atlantic City, they'll go elsewhere.
“Public safety is very important in Atlantic City,” Sarcos said, calling the cameras a “force multiplier” that extends police reach to places where they aren't physically present. “This is a huge investment in public safety and will make Atlantic City safer for everyone.”
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Neither city police nor the county attorney's office have questioned whether an existing network of cameras on and near the boardwalk and on nearby streets captured images that could help investigate the New Year's double deaths. Not made clear.
A murder that occurred near Boardwalk Hall on November 7th also remains unsolved. Authorities also would not say whether outdoor surveillance cameras installed at nearby buildings provided any information that could help the investigation.
According to statistics provided by the police department, several categories of serious crimes increased in 2023 compared to the previous year. From Jan. 1 to Nov. 26, there were seven homicides in Atlantic City, compared to six in the same period last year. Aggravated assaults increased from 317 in 2022 to 355 last year, and robberies increased from 189 to 194 over the same period.
City and state officials have worked hard, investing millions of dollars, to address widely held concerns about public safety in Atlantic City.
But an interview with The Associated Press conducted before the fatal crash shows that changing perceptions won't happen overnight.
“I don't feel safe in Atlantic City,” said Leonard Hall of Mullica Hill, New Jersey. “Safety means being able to walk around without putting your life at risk. I'm in favor of more cameras, but that doesn't stop criminals. Some people say they've had a good experience, but that doesn't mean they'll have more stabbings or shootings. It doesn’t mean that incidents will go away”, thefts that happen to others, or assaults. ”
But Ed Jessup, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, said he feels safe walking around Atlantic City, not just the Boardwalk.
“I went shopping at the outlet and went out to dinner, and I felt good,” he said. “You need to be aware of your surroundings after dark.”
In Las Vegas, which has 646,000 people, 17 times the population of Atlantic City and more than six times the number of casinos, police say that technology plays an important role in public spaces, and police say they have no control over surveillance in the city. Safety not willing to discuss the use of cameras.
Atlantic City resident Jeff Boehm called the cameras “a great idea that will help.”
“Parts of Atlantic City feel safe, but most places don't after dark,” he said. “Of course, if you catch a criminal and they're back on the street the next day, cameras aren't going to be of much use.”
Amy Jackson, who lives in York, Pennsylvania, said the cameras made her feel safer.
“AC may want to advertise that it has cameras, so think twice before committing a crime,” she says.
The city has been installing cameras on the boardwalk since 2016.
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Not only have they helped solve numerous crimes, including near-fatal stabbings, robberies and purse snatchings, but they have also found lost children and elderly visitors who have wandered. According to Lt. Kevin Fair, they saw a slightly raised board on the sidewalk and saw a man lying next to it and called for help, saying he had tripped and fell on the board and injured himself. The claim was also blocked.
The new cameras, like most existing cameras, are monitored in real time by a surveillance unit staffed by retired police officers at police headquarters. Incoming calls for help can be instantly linked to a camera feed showing the area the call is coming from, so officers can see what's happening before they arrive on the scene.
Although the cameras do not use facial recognition, they can quickly collect information that describes a suspect, such as clothing, shoe color, and vehicles associated with a crime.
Sarcos added that private companies, including the nine casinos, can quickly and easily share their camera footage with police if necessary.
