LEAGUE CITY, Texas Perched 18 feet in the air, Paul Garrick noticed drivers staring and pointing.
Some came over to inquire about the odd contraption, which a shopper at Walmart described as a deer blind without camouflage.
League City police for the first time deployed the department s new observation platform, which offers a panoramic view of any site.
Manned during peak shopping hours by police or volunteers from the League City Citizen s Police Academy Alumni Association, the movable platform has three cameras that record activity in expansive retail parking lots near FM 646 and Interstate 45.
Garrick and Sharon Pavey, alumni association members of the citizen s police academy, worked the platform Saturday.
If volunteers or police notice suspicious activity from the platform, they can radio to dispatch or other patrol cars in the area.
League City resident Nathalia White said the platform likely would deter auto thefts.
I think the biggest potential for crime would be at night, so it s probably going to prevent some of that activity, White said.
The platform doesn t have to be manned. Police can monitor camera feeds from patrol cars or the police station.
From a position in Walmart s parking lot, cameras on the platform can zoom in to monitor the parking lot at The Arm s Room about 330 yards away, Pavey said.
Police said the platform will give shoppers peace of mind when parking at the numerous retailers in the area.
This is one of the more high volume areas where you see incidents happening, Garrick said. We hope the public at large feels more comfortable being out here at night or any other time of day.
This story was brought to you thanks to khou.com s partnership with the Galveston County Daily News.
