Call Gov. Rick Perry’s border cam program a learning experience or worthy experiment. But don’t call it a success or spend millions more trying to stop illegal immigrants with a handful of remote cameras and intermittent citizen monitors.

The $2 million in federal money invested so far has yielded negligible returns, and the state should cut its losses.

Illegal immigration is a problem that Texas must confront, but the governor should concentrate time and resources on methods that show concrete results.

About 125,000 people registered in the first year to be “virtual Texas deputies,” an effort that netted 11 arrests via the Internet-based camera network, according to the El Paso Times.

Yesterday, on the Web site www.texasborderwatch.com, just 14 cameras were providing live feeds from Texas’ 1,200-mile boundary with Mexico. They focused on stretches of river, dusty roads and South Texas brush country, with tips on what to look for. Viewers of Camera 11’s panorama, for example, got these instructions: “This area is known for illegal drug activity. Look for individuals on foot carrying backpacks or in a boat crossing water.”

In theory, widespread, dedicated, organized vigilance might have a significant impact on the immense borderlands. In practice, the program has produced unimpressive numbers.

Over a week in February sampled by the El Paso newspaper, the Web site got 3,900 messages from “virtual deputies,” many of whom were confused or reported such things as animals afoot. Others inquired about rewards. Some were jokesters.

An El Paso sheriff’s spokesman, meanwhile, said the department never responded to tips passed along through the network.

Vigilance along the border is vital to the nation’s security and sends the message that the government is serious about enforcing immigration and drug laws. Success depends on a multi-pronged approach including adequate law enforcement, strategic prosecution of lawbreaking employers and smart use of fencing paired with development of a technology-driven “virtual fence.”

A common denominator is relying on trained personnel, not well-meaning citizens who might only waste professionals’ time.

The governor’s office has launched border-security efforts of value. His Operation Linebacker, for instance, provided money for hiring, training and overtime pay for law-enforcement staff on the border. Future grant applications to the federal government ought to focus on personnel.

In the same vein, a recurring theme in a report last year by the Texas Border Security Council was the need for money to properly train and deploy personnel. The council also made clear a need for more and better technology, saying: “Border security funding should be used to support closely coordinated, intelligence-driven patrol operations that utilize technology to maximize their impact.”

It’s hard to imagine that tips called in from a living room in Ohio represent the type of intelligence the council had in mind.