Police in Miami are moving forward with plans to place about 400 new security cameras throughout the metro area. The move will allow authorities to monitor the city through a high-tech command center with up to 200 closed-circuit television screens, The Miami Herald reported.

The cameras would be attached on rooftops, street poles, and existing red light cameras. The new system will cost about $700,000, but half of the expense will be covered by federal anti-terrorism funds, the newspaper reported.

New York and London have similar systems and mounted cameras have helped to identify other criminal suspects.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has criticized the plan, especially the use of facial-recognition technology.

Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, said similar plans in Tampa and Oakland have failed. He said Tampa dismantled its facial recognition system after ACLU complaints and too many false positives.

Plans for the Miami surveillance system include ShotSpotter, a network of censors and GPS signals that are placed on strategic rooftops. The device is activated when it hears an impulse of noises. If the noise hits three sensors, the technology can pinpoint where the noise is coming from within 10 meters. The system has been criticized by some law enforcement agencies for misidentifying some sounds as gunshots.