This summer has been heavy. Beaumont residents know why. Shootings at Perlstein Park and Rogers Park. Parents afraid to let children outside. Older residents who stopped going out altogether. The community has been grieving and asking out loud what the city is going to do about it.

Here is part of the answer.

Beaumont city leaders are moving to expand the Real-Time Crime Center camera network to cover every park in the city. Cameras are already in place at more than a dozen parks, but the goal now is to eliminate every remaining blind spot. Citywide. The proposal is expected to be part of the upcoming FY2027 city budget.

Councilman Joey Hilliard put it plainly: "We started with a little, we're getting more and more and more to the point where now we'll be able to see every part of the city and what's going on."

The Real-Time Crime Center is not just cameras. It is a $275,000 integrated system called Fusus that gives officers live access to footage from parks, traffic cameras, license plate readers, and registered private cameras all across the city. It has already helped solve 87 cases, recover illegal guns, and serve warrants. When the Perlstein Park shooting happened earlier this year, it was Real-Time Crime Center technology that helped investigators make an arrest.

Arthur Louis Jr., a lifelong Beaumont resident who serves on the Mayor's Coalition Against Violence, said the expansion is about protecting future generations. "Safety is number one for me and my grandchildren. The vast majority of people are looking forward to that."

Beaumont is not just grieving this summer. It is building infrastructure.

And here is something every BC reader can do right now: register your home or business camera with the Beaumont Police Department. It is free, takes less than one minute, and puts your camera on the citywide map. If a crime happens near your address, BPD can contact you directly and request footage. You stay in complete control of what you share. Visit ConnectBeaumontTX.org or BeaumontTexas.gov/fusus to register.