The eyes of the world will be on St. Paul during the Republican National Convention and so will the eyes of police.

The St. Paul Police Department said new surveillance cameras would be an important part of security during the convention.

If your not looking for them, they're easy to miss. But over the last few weeks several police security cameras have gone up all around the Xcel Energy Center. During the convention, St. Paul officers will monitor the cameras from their headquarters.

"They’re a valuable tool and it's going to be in place for a long time," said St. Paul Police spokesman Tom Walsh.

The cameras are funded through a $50 million federal grant to the city. Protesters and the ACLU said they aren't happy about the cameras and they fear innocent people will be targeted, but police said they’d use the cameras to help keep peace.

"For crowd control to allow us to make sure the resources we need are in the places we need them," Walsh explained.

The cameras will remain in use after the convention although some may be moved to other parts of the city.

"Everyone is so focused on this convention, that they can't see beyond that. But the idea was not for the convention, but for the long-term security for the city of St. Paul," Walsh said.

The city has also put up security cameras along University Avenue as part of the Central Corridor project.