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Contractor Pulls Plug On Surveillance Cameras After City Doesn't Pay Bill

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With a series of surveillance cameras all over the city, we all know big brother is watching

They're a crime-fighting tool.

"Having cameras in bad areas helps to catch the bad guy once the crime has been committed," said Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. "But, at the same time, they give a peace and security to the people."

But many of these cameras aren't bringing peace and security to the neighborhood, that's because they're not working.

The city didn't pay a $195,000 maintenance fee. So a contractor pulled the plug on many of the cameras.

In the heart of East Liberty, there's a whole bunch of these cameras. They're working, and it's a good thing they work.

That's because surveillance video, both from city cameras and from private businesses, helped arrest Allen Wade, who is accused in the deaths of the Wolfe sisters in East Liberty.

But now many of the cameras just don't work.

"It's a big concern," said Mayor Peduto. "Anytime we spend a lot of money and buy equipment that's supposed to be used for the public, especially for public safety. It's not being turned on or used, it raises a lot of questions."

City Council is about to approve the money to get the cameras back on.

In the meantime, there's a big question about how this happened? Was it under Mayor Bill Peduto's watch or former Mayor Luke Ravenstahl?

"I don't have an answer for that right now," said Mayor Peduto. "There's a couple different opinions that are out there. Until there's some really concrete facts out there, I don't want to jump into it and assume."

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