To combat crime, which has recently included two homicides, including one on Sunday, city officials want to install more surveillance cameras throughout the city.
Eight residents attended a police and fire safety committee meeting on Monday, where the topic of how to get the cameras and how much they will cost was discussed. Officials said the city has 10 surveillance cameras in different locations, mostly in the main arteries.
Eddie Colbert, the director of safety services, said he will ask council members to make a list of locations in their wards or parts of the city where they think a security camera should be installed over the course of the next two weeks. The cost of the extra cameras will be covered, according to Colbert, using money from the American Rescue Plan that council members received for their respective wards.
He said requests already have included by the Trumbull Homes and at the corner of Maple and Hayes avenues in the fifth and sixth wards.
Police detective Eric Laprocina, who is supervisor in the investigative division, said cameras are already in place in “hot spots” of the city to deter crime and to help police investigate.
According to Laprocina, cameras have been installed at Market Street and Tod Avenue close to the Hot Dog Shoppe, in the city parks, on Parkman Road by the former K-Mart building, on Youngstown Road, and on Palmyra Road.
In light of Sunday’s homicide, Laprocina said there have been discussions about adding more cameras to the southwest section of the city.
Calls to the locations where the cameras are, he claimed, have decreased, proving the effectiveness of the cameras. According to Laprocina, cameras function best on busy roads where it is possible to see people driving.
“Crime is mobile. With the cameras, we can catch people as they try to flee using the main artery roads,” he said.
More cameras are required in the 6th ward, according to her, who expressed concern about recent criminal activity there.
“Some of the areas are isolated and that is why crime seems to be there more. I will invest ARP dollars to make sure we have more cameras,” Saffold said.
She added that drug use at various locations and vandalism at a building in Quinby Park, also on the southwest side, are both causes for concern.
Councilman Andrew Herman of the second ward inquired as to whether other camera types, such as license plate readers used in other cities, were under consideration.
Robert Dietl, president of Cyclops Technology Group, said seven cameras were installed previously at five locations at a cost of less than $100,000, with some covered by grants. According to officials, new cameras will run about $20,000 each.
According to him, cameras with a 20–25-year lifespan are going to be installed near Austin Avenue and Palmyra Road.
The cost of purchasing, installing, and maintaining the cameras was something that the council members said they would need to know.
Read More: How Long Do Security Cameras Keep Footage?
Source: tribtoday
