CCTV quality in my city flipped after the 2021 fiber rollout

I work security at a strip mall off Route 9 in Albany. Before that fiber internet upgrade, our old analog cameras gave you blurry shapes at 20 feet. You couldnt read a license plate unless the car stopped right under the light. After the city switched everything over, the boss spent $3,400 on new IP cameras. Same angles, same lights, but now I can zoom in on a guy's hoodie logo across the lot. The thing is, I see people argue that governments use new tech to watch us more. But in my case, the upgrade made it easier for us to watch shoplifters, not the state. My question is this: when you notice a real jump in surveillance quality, do you think it's about crime prevention or something else? Has anyone else seen that tech change in their town with no clear explanation?