INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The City of Independence is taking the next step to improve public safety.
On Monday, the Independence City Council approved an ordinance requiring all hotels and motels to install surveillance cameras.
Most businesses in town already have cameras, but city leaders said the new ordinance will get everyone on the same page.
Independence Police officers said the ordinance will make it easier for them to follow up on crimes and identify suspects.
"This summer, we had several cases. We had almost 60 different vehicles broken into throughout Independence at actual hotels, and we were able to use camera surveillance to catch the three people responsible for those," said Officer John Syme with the Independence Police Department.
All Independence hotels and motels have until July 1, 2018, to install or update video surveillance systems.
Businesses must comply with the city's ordinance. That includes maintaining footage for a minimum of seven days.
