Norm Langer, who owns Langer's Delicatessen on South Alvarado Street, said the cameras "have had some difficulty" but were helping the area's police tackle crime.
Langer, who serves in an advisory role to local police, said he believed LAPD officials in Rampart were more focused on building their new police station than on spending thousands of dollars on the cameras' repairs.
Assistant Chief Sharon Papa said that over the past several years the department has encouraged its commanding officers to come up with creative approaches to crime reduction against the backdrop of limited funding.
Now, she said the department needs to take what it has learned and implement more standardization.
"The cameras obviously have allowed us to be more efficient and to police smarter," Papa said.
"Now, we know their value but have to take steps" to support the program, including appropriate budget requests, staffing and maintenance, she said.
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andrew.blankstein@latimes.com
ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com
