IBERIA PARISH, La. (KLFY) --- Criminals are always coming up with new ways to break the law, so police continue to develop new strategies to stay ahead. The New Iberia Police Department is doing just that by setting up crime cameras across the city.

New Iberia Police Chief Todd D'Albro says installing cameras will help ensure the safety of New Iberia residents and allow the department to be more proactive than reactive in stopping illegal activity.

"How do we get technology to be an asset for our communities to keep people safe and stop these burglaries from taking place?" D'Albro said. "It's to have that 24/7 eye."

The department is setting up around 125 cameras across all districts in New Iberia. D'Albro said they plan to use these cameras to prevent crime instead of solving it. They are also working on building a real-time crime center to be the city's 24/7 eye.

"We want to prevent it to where we don't have to be reactive," D'Albro said.

D'Albro wants the community to know they hear their concerns about crime. The chief said they are as displeased as the residents and believe crime numbers will change with the help of the cameras.

"We're not going to invade privacy," D'Albro said. "This is not going in people's homes. We're not putting cameras in people's houses. You know, that's not what this is. This is cover in the right-of-way areas of our city and making sure that that we can see what's going on when it's getting to neighborhoods. It's positive all the way around."

The chief said the cameras have been set up for weeks and have already begun to pay dividends in preventing crime.

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