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 The Republican National Convention gets underway three weeks from Monday, and St. Paul Police have installed dozens of new surveillance cameras around the Xcel Energy Center in preparation.
Officers will monitor the cameras behind locked doors on the fifth floor of the department’s headquarters.
"This is the CCT Command Center or close circuit command center," said Sgt. Jack Serier, who gave 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and tour of the facility.
"We can read license plates from two blocks away," Serier explained.
In the command center, officials will have access to live feeds from 60 cameras stationed around the Xcel and University Avenue during the duration of the convention.
"It’s another set of information of what is happening and to give ourselves a much more complete picture of what's going on when were dealing with issues on the street," Serier said.
When the conventions starts, the St. Paul Police Department will put these cameras online so anyone will be able to watch the same cameras on their home computer.
"This is just another way to confirm with people of the level of trust with the St. Paul Police Department," Serier said.
The command center will stay in use after the convention, but some cameras will be moved to other parts of downtown.
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