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At some of the most important intersections in Puerto Vallarta, metal poles that look like the ones used by the Papantla Flyers show on the Malecon suddenly began to sprout up. But these poles were shorter. Some wondered if they could be for grade school children performing as a folkloric dance group.
It all started with a series of excavations along the center islands and sidewalks. Without any official notice, which always raises questions about whether the construction is really worth the trouble, the installation of the poles turned out to be quite bothersome for pedestrians and drivers. The Department of Public Works, Seapal and Telmex were the first suspected of once again tearing up the city streets without notice or work orders.
The day following the installation of the poles, some wondered if these were new flagpoles. But there were too many, unless they were attempting to turn Puerto Vallarta into the city with the most flags in the world. Speculation about the purpose of the poles began to grow, each person with their own guess: bases for sculptures, new street lighting, or light rail?
The mystery was resolved a few days ago; the poles are for video surveillance cameras.
This year has been a departure from the traditional peace and tranquility in this region of the country. Beginning in May, there were 17 shootings, which included police chases on city streets, prompting drastic measures; the arrival of additional state and federal police in town and the implementation of patrols throughout the city. The municipal government responded with their own safety measures, which involved the installation of 48 video surveillance cameras to monitor the main intersections of the city around the clock.
Mexicans have traditionally distrusted the authorities, and there are those who express doubts regarding the usefulness of the cameras; nonetheless, others feel they may be useful in identifying those who break the law. This measure includes the installation of a monitoring area in the Department of Public Safety, who will look for criminal activities captured by these cameras in order to obtain videos that will allow the to capture of suspected criminals.
Now that the mystery of the poles has been solved, all that is left is to wait and see if these cameras are worth the effort. If not, there are already a variety of options for their use.
By: Rodrigo López Becerril
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