The city is embarking on the effort with little public debate over which streets and neighborhoods warrant cameras, how the LAPD will find the personnel to watch the cameras, and how the city will ensure that the sophisticated devices are not used to peer into the homes of residents ... Across the country and around the world, cameras are becoming an ever more prevalent tool of law enforcement.

New Orleans and Chicago recently installed cameras, as have Palm Springs and Washington, D.C. Across the Atlantic, England has embraced the concept, with more than 150,000 cameras throughout London.

Here in the world's movie and television capital, cameras have been in use for years by private agencies and community groups.

In the 1990s, landlords mounted cameras on buildings along Yucca Street in Hollywood, turning over footage of suspected drug activity to police. Police then sent letters to some vehicle owners, warning that their cars had been seen in a zone known for heavy narcotics trafficking.

That raised concerns from civil libertarians but drew raves from the community.

Three years ago, the LAPD installed motion-sensing cameras around Hollywood and in the Valley to fight graffiti. Once activated, the cameras broadcast a recorded message warning that photographs are about to be taken.