A better neighborhood watch without the window peeping?

How would you like to be able to tell your kids to go out and play and get out from under foot and be able to still be able to keep an eye on them at will?  Want to send them to the community park without being a "helicopter parent?" Want to know when your kids ACTUALLY got home and who they are hanging out with? Who lurks around your home? What neighbor is letting their dog crap in your yard without picking it up?  A system like the above is within our current technological abilities.

What if you had a neighborhood with cameras facing only the streets and public places.  Specifically not to include private buildings but if the private property is viewable from the street it can be included in the sight range of the cameras.  All parks in the neighborhood would be thoroughly covered.  The cameras would be able to "see" well at night and would have option for thermal and IR. The cameras would record at least as far back as a month and would only overwrite the oldest entries of itself when it ran out of room.  Anyone with access could create a clip from the original.  No one would have access to delete the original but the admin who would maintain the system and only in case of system failure. Backups would be maintained and copies would be made available on request to the police.  Live feed would be available to those with a password.  Those with a password would include the admin and those who live in the neighborhood.  The day someone moves out the password is changed.