ORLANDO, Fla. — 9 Investigates found out that half of the cameras designed to keep people safe and help police catch criminals are not being used.
There are nearly 200 police surveillance or "IRIS" cameras across the city of Orlando, but half of them do not work.
Authorities said blame the problems on road crews, the cameras and power outages.
"We're about at 50 percent (of working cameras)," said Chief John Mina of the Orlando Police Department.
9 Investigates found out that the cameras were not working when an Orlando police officer accidentally shot and killed a woman in 2014.
Also, last week, power outages disabled the cameras around Lake Eola, where investigators said someone stole baby swans.
Mina said crews often damage underground camera power lines.
"A lot of times, many of the cameras, especially in the downtown area are down because of construction," Mina said.
The same issues were happening last year.
"Things start breaking down. Little switches and connectors, and maybe even parts of the camera," said Deputy Chief Robert Pigman of the Orlando Police Department.
There are at least 178 cameras, and each camera costs between $3, 000 to $5,000.
Mina said he plans to hire someone to run the IRIS camera program and fix the broken cameras.