County and city officials Wednesday rolled out an eight-camera video security system that will help police on patrol in downtown Mount Clemens.

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, Sheriff Anthony Wickersham and Mount Clemens Mayor Barb Dempsey unveiled the video system at a media conference Wednesday at the police dispatch center of the Sheriff's Office.

The mayor also said that while the city can't afford to increase the number of police officers it has on patrol, the technology will enable the officers it does have to do their jobs more efficiently.

Macomb County's Department of Roads is helping the authorities install the cameras, which will be located in and around Mount Clemens' downtown area, Hackel said.

Each camera costs about $20,000, officials said. They can each see about a half-mile out and zoom in close in 1080p high resolution digital images — or show pictures that compare with high-definition television screens.

All of the cameras will be paid for through the sheriff's drug forfeiture fund, Wickersham said. The fund is nearly a $1 million.

Two years ago, the City of Mount Clemens installed video cameras on a municipal building and a parking lot near a cluster of bars in its downtown district. After years of having to cope with raucous revelers, city officials put the cameras in to deter mischief.

Wickersham said those cameras are outdated and the new ones will replace them.

Mount Clemens resident and business owner Diane Kubik said she thinks the system is a great idea.