Columbus mayor approves anti-crime cameras

COLUMBUS (AP) — The mayor of Columbus has approved the placement of more than 100 surveillance cameras in five neighborhoods hit hard by violence.

The city, Ohio’s largest, has seen 84 homicides this year, one more than all of 2009.

Mayor Michael Coleman announced the plan Thursday to place the cameras in neighborhoods based on crime statistics and input from residents and patrol officers.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the city will spend up to $2.5 million from the city’s capital funds to pay for the cameras.

The announcement came the same day two men were shot to death in a tough west side neighborhood, one of the five places chosen for the cameras.

City officials last month unveiled a plan to pay $1,000 for tips that lead to arrests and confiscation of guns used in crimes.