Over the past few years, some patrons of Lexington's Cary Memorial Library have had the misfortune of encountering a person exposing himself.

Five such incidents, along with vandalism that destroyed about $13,000 worth of property, prompted library officials and police to consider installing surveillance cameras, which increasingly are being used by local authorities to help maintain law and order and to keep property losses to a minimum, they said.

"We can't provide enough staff to be paying attention at all times," said library director Connie Rawson. "I think all public libraries are struggling with the same issues."

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A number of communities in the region, including Lexington, already use surveillance cameras in the streets, public buildings, or schools to deter vandalism and other crimes, or gather intelligence information, raising concern among critics that the cameras threaten civil liberties. Some communities have them in multiple locations for multiple purposes. Lawrence High School has 300 cameras trained on students and staff.

In some cases, a rash of illegal activity or a particularly horrific crime prompted officials to heighten security, but, just as often, they have obtained the technology simply because they can. In a time of budget cuts, short-staffed officials sometimes welcome it as a substitute for hiring more employees.

Last month, for example, while the buzz at the Burlington Mall was all about the new Nordstrom department store, another quieter advance was taking place - the installation of three surveillance cameras to record any activity in the parking lots.

The $20,000 security system is intended to deter crime and to record any illegal acts for later investigation, said Burlington Police Chief Francis Hart. The popular mall draws an estimated 14 million patrons a year.

No particular incident prompted the beefed-up security, Hart said. Instead, the state Department of Public Safety made money available for security systems, and Burlington took advantage of it. The high-resolution, closed-circuit system sends images through a special fiber-optic cable and can store them for future use. The mall owner, Simon Property Group Inc., paid for the wiring, Hart said.

"I just saw it as another tool," Hart said. "A mall always draws crime."

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