Sky-Cam Goes up on Bedford

A sky-cam has been erected on Bedford Avenue at the northeastern corner of Clifton Place.

The mobile camera, which costs about $130,000, is a 24-hour watch and recording center for crime activity. A 79th Precinct police officer at the scene said it was installed because of an escalation in the number of reported armed robberies in the area.

"There's been a lot of robberies at gunpoint up and down Bedford Avenue between Dekalb and Quincy, mostly of electronics and mostly to people who are walking to and from this subway," he said, pointing to the Bedford/Nostrand entrance of the G train on Bedford and Lafayette avenues.

The officer said he couldn't say how long the sky-cam would stay at that location, but that it would remain there until they felt the problem of robberies was brought under control.

One longtime Bed-Stuy resident, Rodney, walking down Bedford toward the subway said the sky-cam, in a way, made him feel like the area was more unsafe:

"All the police, the flashing lights... almost makes me feel like it's more unsafe than before -- even though it's the opposite," he said. "I've lived in this area for many years, but I guess I never noticed the crime. It just seemed quiet. Looking at all these cops now, I'm thinking it must be pretty bad."