City Councilwoman Stacy Head called the city’s current contract with LSI Research Inc. “fishy” after city attorneys found that the company didn’t have a state license on its bid application, though it claimed it did.

WWL-TV

Interim technology director Anthony Jones

Now, city attorneys are beginning to investigate whether the contract with the company, which makes and distributes the cameras, should be terminated.

It’s not the first controversy for LSI, which has faced backfire over the past months for the slow start to the city’s crime camera program.

Anthony Jones, the city’s interim chief technology officer, told the Public Works Committee Wednesday morning that just 151 of the city’s 250 crime cameras are operational.

That number is up 85 from just a few months ago, when the council lambasted officials for a slow start to the program. Mayor Ray Nagin said that the placement of cameras was delayed after a contractor walked off the job.  

“We do not have now, the 25^th of June, 2008, nor have we had, since October of 2007, a contract for repair or maintenance of crime cameras in the city of New Orleans. Yes or no?” asked Head.

Jones said that they did not.

Of the cameras that are operational, there are eight in the 1^st District, seven in the 2^nd District, 25 in the 4^th District, 30 in the 5^th District, 38 in the 6^th District, 20 in the 7^th District and 13 in the 8^th District. Those do not include the 39 cameras hanging in and around the New Orleans City Hall.

Jones pledged to have 200 cameras working by the end of the year.