Dozens of cameras placed in high crime areas throughout the city are "ineffective," police Chief George Gascon told the Police Commission Wednesday.

But don't count on him changing them anytime soon.

Gascon said the Los Angeles Police Department was able to clean up MacArthur Park in L.A. after gangs and drug dealers took over the place. Cameras were the key, but there had to be an officer monitoring them at the other end.

In San Francisco, nobody monitors the cameras -- mostly because of civil rights issues. Many of those issues were brought up by past commissioner and current Supervisor David Campos.

The current Police Commission seems eager to revisit the camera protocol, with president Joe Marshall calling Gascon's thoughts "refreshing." With the new chief ready to transform the Police Department, however, cameras will have to wait.

"I want to make it very clear, we are not ready for this today," Gascon said.