Cabbies Armed With Cams

Driving a cab in an urban area can be a dangerous job. But cabbies in Houston, Texas, are hailing a new crime-fighting tool.

Surveillance cameras are mounted above their cabs' rear-view mirrors, reports CBS News This Morning Co-Anchor Mark McEwen.

Houston is one of the first cities in the nation to mount a small camera on the dashboard of Yellow Cabs. It takes a picture of a cab's interior as soon as a passenger opens the door.

Should a customer commit a crime, then the Houston Police Department can retrieve the photos.

So far, the new system has led to one criminal giving himself up after seeing his picture in the Houston Chronicle.

Raywood Communications started looking into developing this system about five years back and began installing cameras in Perth, Australia, two years ago, says Mark Ward, the company's business development manager. The foremost objective of the surveillance cameras is to prevent crime, he says.

In Houston, Yellow Cab has about 1,200 cars equipped with these cams, Ward notes.

"Any industry that deals with the public and is dealing [in] cash is an easy target," he says. "Cameras have really dropped the crime rate, just like in convenience stores."

CBS
Cab robber caught on camera.

"And every time you enter a store - most people know they're getting their picture taken," he adds.

The camera automatically takes 30 pictures of each fare from one camera mounted above the rear-view mirror. It takes one per second and has automatic trigger points, he explains.

And the camera takes pictures when a passenger enters and exits the car and when the meter is turned on and off.

The driver can also take additional pictures, Ward adds.

The camera is very noticeable; the lens is two inches wide and notification stickers inside and outside the cab warn passengers of the picture taking.

And as with a pager, after the memory is full, the newest pictures erase the oldest ones.

"Cabbies love it, and those who don't have it want it," he notes. "Now the partition is what's being used to prevent crime but they don't like them. Most drivers would rather have a camera than a shield."

"Most criminals who rob cabs are local people; it's not a crime that someone would plan for six months and drop into to town," says Capt. Richard Williams Commander of Houston police's robbery division.

"So this gives us a wonderful opportunity to find out who these folks are," he adds.

Police can access the pctures through a laptop provided by the company. As with any other technology, a potential downside is that criminals may eventually find a way around it.

"The thing about building a better mousetrap is the mice get smarter," says Capt. Williams.

More from CBS News