BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – It’s almost been almost exactly three years since Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney was taken from Town Brown Village.
She was abducted while attending an outside birthday party and that created some real security concerns for Birmingham’s Housing Authority.
“Prior to the tragic loss of baby Kamille, there were zero cameras and zero license plate readers,” CEO and president of HABD Dontrelle Young-Foster said. “Since then, we have installed 68 cameras, 8 license plate readers, and we installed LED lighting in the community.”
It’s not just for residents at the Tom Brown community. Young-Foster said they have added cameras and lighting to all 14 neighborhoods, a nearly $6 million project.
“The enhanced lighting gives them comfort to be able to be outside, sit on their front porch, and let their kids out playing, so gives them a chance to be comfortable at home,” Young-Foster said. “Crime can happen anytime and anywhere, but we are ensuring that we put measures in place to ensure those families are safe.”
She said they are seeing a decrease in crime on properties so far this year, but they also installed license plate readers to try and curb outside crime from coming in.
“Residents do express concerns when an incident or crime occurs on the property,” Young-Foster said. “But, they are aware that the crime is not within the residents in the community, but on the outside, that is why we do license plate readers.”
This year, Birmingham City leaders approved a $3.2 million contract to increase police patrols for the housing authority, with more than 15 officers now circulating.
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