Cryptocurrency billionaire funds SF-wide web of cameras to help fight crime

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — Privately owned security camera networks are spreading across San Francisco and many of them are paid for by a local cryptocurrency mogul. 

The billionaire says his goal is to try and stop the rampant property crime that’s plaguing the city. 

Shoppers in Union Square are likely too busy spending money to notice hundreds of cameras silently recording them. 

High resolution surveillance networks are also keeping tabs on many parts of the city, like Japantown, the Tenderloin, and Fisherman’s Wharf. Cameras can be seen mounted from swanky mansions in Russian Hill to single-family homes in the Sunset. ​

It’s part of an effort called Safe City Camera Project where neighborhood-based networks help law enforcement crack down on crime. 

Chris Larsen has spent millions of his personal fortune paying for some of these surveillance networks.​

“The smash and grab thing is out of control in San Francisco,” Larsen said….