Long Beach police announced Wednesday that they plan to have surveillance cameras installed along the boardwalk by the end of the summer.

City officials say the video surveillance will be used to deter serious crime and prosecute offenders. They will be installed from National Boulevard to Long Beach Boulevard. 

Longtime resident Larry Gutman says the new surveillance plan is just a sign of the times.

"They have to beef up the security. All these crazy things  [are]  happening, especially where people gather in numbers," says Gutman. 

City officials say they are also expanding their license plate reader program this summer. They say stationary readers will be installed on all the major entrances to the city and can read 2,000 plates per hour. The information gathered would only be kept for 120 to 180 days, police say.

Officials say the license plate reader program expansion will cost approximately $260,000. They say the funds have already been approved.