Winchester police have installed two security cameras at the Loudoun Street Mall. According to the Winchester Star the cameras can offer images of Boscawen Street to its intersections with Braddock and Cameron streets; of buildings along both sides of the Loudoun Street Mall; and of Loudoun Street north of the mall, almost to the Loudoun Street Auto Park.

The system was purchased with federal Justice Department grant.

"If you plan to visit the Loudoun Street Mall — with good or bad intentions — be prepared to have your picture made. City police have installed two surveillance cameras to record activities at the downtown gathering place around the clock.

One of them is bolted to the side of the Old Town Cafe at the mall’s intersection with Boscawen Street. The other is attached to an information kiosk near the Taylor Hotel site.

As city Director of Emergency Communications Erin Ellrod demonstrated Monday, both cameras can pan almost 360 degrees, can zoom in and out on moving people and objects, and can be watched from multiple computer screens in the Timbrook Public Safety Center.

According to Police Chief Kevin Sanzenbacher, the cameras are meant to provide peace of mind to citizens and business owners."

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