FAIRFAX POLICE TURN SKY CAMERAS ON TRAFFIC

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 21, 1993                   TAG: 9302210059
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C4   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FAIRFAX                                LENGTH: Medium
FAIRFAX POLICE TURN SKY CAMERAS ON TRAFFIC
Cameras mounted on helicopters will help police and the Virginia Department of Transportation respond more quickly to traffic problems in Northern Virginia, officials said.
The compact television cameras will be placed aboard Fairfax County police helicopters this week, said transportation department spokeswoman Mary Anne Reynolds.
She said the cameras will relay pictures to regional transportation experts on the ground, who will pair the information with images from stationary cameras mounted along the region's busiest roads.
"In a congested urban area like ours, for every minute's delay in traffic due to a disabled vehicle or an accident, it takes five minutes for traffic to recover," Reynolds said.
"For this reason, it's critical in Northern Virginia to spot incidents and clear them quickly."
The chief advantage of airborne cameras is that they provide instantaneous images of a broad area, so traffic managers can immediately locate problems and help transportation and law enforcement officials respond quickly, Reynolds said.
The transportation department now has 48 stationary cameras that record an average of two traffic incidents each day, she said.
Metro Traffic Control in Bethesda, Md., monitors traffic from the air and provides information to local media. "We would certainly welcome and support increased surveillance from the air," said Bob Witten, director of operations for Metro Traffic. "The more eyes the better."
Fairfax is Northern Virginia's largest jurisdiction and has the largest police force. Also, many of the region's perpetual traffic trouble spots are within Fairfax County.
Police and transportation officials declined to say how many helicopters will carry the cameras, which were purchased with a $375,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB