District Attorney Jason Williams made a pitch Tuesday for more home and business surveillance cameras in New Orleans, saying a recent arrest shows how video recordings help law enforcers catch suspected criminals and strengthen prosecutions.

“This technology is a game changer,” Williams said. “Please invest in security cameras. They have the potential to make a huge difference in the work we do."

His news conference came three months after the City Council approved funding for new crime cameras in the French Quarter, which would triple the number in place there. Although the measure passed the council unanimously, it was not without criticism from some residents, who raised privacy and other concerns about increased surveillance.

Williams positioned cameras as a way that concerned residents may “get in the fight without putting themselves in harm’s way.” He said surveillance video from an injurious shooting in September "bolstered law enforcement efforts to find" a suspect and led to an arrest.

He thanked national crime camera program Project NOLA, a nonprofit is based at the University of New Orleans, for its work in helping to place approximately 5,000 cameras throughout the city since 2016. Some of those cameras, Williams said, captured video used in the September arrest. 

Project NOLA's director, Bryan Lagarde, said the nonprofit provides residents and businesses with cameras at no cost, but residents and business owners must pay for the professional installation and a cloud storage fee, which costs at least $15 per month.

Email Jillian Kramer at jillian.kramer@theadvocate.com.