Ypsilanti Township considering expanding public surveillance camera program
Harris Park in Ypsilanti Township.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Ypsilanti Township is considering expanding a public security camera program it piloted in the West Willow neighborhood.
Recent issues in the Harris Park area led township staff to ask the Board of Trustees to consider approving placing cameras in the area. The board discussed the issue at its Tuesday night meeting, and Jeff Allen, the township's director of residential services, will bring a formal proposal to the November meeting.
Harris Park is located between South Harris Road and Ford Boulevard. It lies just south of East Michigan Avenue, and Harris Road ends at train tracks between the park and Michigan Avenue.
There is no access to Michigan Avenue, and Allen said a small footpath leads from Michigan Avenue into a baseball diamond and park area used by the Ypsilanti National Little League teams. The area sees very little through traffic because of the lack of access from Michigan Avenue, and has become a small haven for illegal activity.
Mike Radzik, director of the township's office of community standards, said little league officials have regularly had to comb the field and clean up drug paraphernalia, hypodermic needles, used condoms and bottles.
People are reported to have been found sleeping in dugouts and in the bleachers, graffiti has become an issue, and scrap metal and wiring was recently stolen from the park.
“Much of the problem has been attributed to pedestrian traffic over the railroad tracks to and from East Michigan Avenue,” Radzik said. “Jeff (Allen) has been authorized to come back to the board at the November meeting with a lighting and camera proposal. It is believed that lighting would help deter these issues, and video surveillance would help police identify and arrest offenders.”
In a memo to the township, Allen said he would like to see two to three cameras in the park, which would be the same model as those used in West Willow. The images would be sent to the existing server that collects images in the Washtenaw County Sheriff Department’s township station.
The cameras start recording still images upon detecting motion in an area and transmit full color images back to a central computer. The images are selectively downloaded by the Sheriff's Department for investigative purposes. Images not downloaded are over-written by the device every four to five days, depending on the volume of activity, Radzik said.
The cameras don’t provide a live stream, and no one regularly monitors the recordings. Instead, police could preview and download the images from a local computer at the police station as needed, Radzik said. Multiple deputies are trained in using the equipment.
The cameras only point into public spaces and are not directed at any homes.
Police officials previously said images from the cameras have been utilized and are an effective investigative tool, while West Willow residents have reported that the cameras are driving activity from their neighborhood.
The total cost for two cameras including hardware and cell service would be $9,224, while the total for three cameras would be $13, 836.
Comments
slave2work
Sat, Oct 8, 2011 : 3:53 p.m.
wow. i have to laugh.. some of you writting comments really have a complex. If you're not doing anything wrong why are you worried about it?. there are ppl. who live on the tracks there and under the bridge. most people know that. when the little league had their spring clean up every year we had to use shovels and plastic gloves because of all the needles and condoms left all around. Yes this needs to be policed more. If that means cameras then so be it. Besides.. in a court of law.. a picture is much better evidence then he said she said.
Gordon
Fri, Oct 7, 2011 : 12:08 a.m.
No government is NOT picking on the poor & blacks. Stupid comment. If anything it's picking on the trouble makers whom the home owners would appreciate being STOPPED. It's true. Governments have started watching people in public places. I guess the cop on the beat was one or the squad car patroling neighborhoods. Get over yourself. It's public.
christian
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 11:43 p.m.
i have a house on that street. it is not a poor black neighborhood, and i for one would love to see cameras and lights in those parks. i'm sure most of the other neighbors would agree. it isn't people who live in the neighborhood, it's people walking back and forth from michigan ave. i've had people firing weapons at the end of that street and i was robbed 3 times. something needs to be done, so keep your police state nonsense to your selves. you can just stay in your safe suburban homes.
G. Orwell
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 9:52 p.m.
Not only is the surveillance cameras used against the public, if there is something on the cameras the "authorities" don't want us to see, they will withold it. As it has been done is nearly all major "terrorist attacks." Every attack in major public places were recorded by cameras in the areas. Those tapes were confiscated and we have not seen the footages. If they do release some footages, it is only what they want us to see.
Roadman
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.
This is how government operates - they use an egregious example to begin some type of ordinarily intrusive behavor and use it try to justify further encroachments upon the public's civil liberties until the public realizes that the government's behavor does not justify the protection from the supposed harms that the government was protecting us from in the first place. When we begin seeing police surveillance cameras on every street corner and each neighborhood capturing us in our intimate moments with our friends family and loved ones - and getting some salacious conduct recorded for posterity - we will realize this surveillance was an expensive mistake. Same thing happened when the Church Committee discovered our beloved CIA was assassinating foreign leaders. The public was outraged and President Ford signed an Executive Order in 1975 barring killing of such persons. Lo and behold, America this year becomes overjoyed that Osama Bin Laden was killed (with some exceptions e.g. Ron Paul) then questions are raised when a U.S. citizen is targeted for extrajudicial assassination and killed and it turns out a second American citizen - 25 years old - was also inadvertently killed do we realize that the executive branch may be involved in inappropriate conduct when it arbitrarily decides who shall live or die. Will the feds next decide that the IRA , Mexican drug cartels, or U.S. militia movement leaders be the next ones targeted for extrajudicial assasination? Unchecked government power of the executive branch intruding on our privacy and very lives is something that is dangerous and Orwellian. Civil libertarians should be screaming over these issues.
ffej440
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 9:24 p.m.
CCTV has been used in the UK for many years and is a great tool against crime. The hard part is mounting the camera where the crooks can't disable it.
Ricebrnr
Fri, Oct 7, 2011 : 3:31 p.m.
NOT quite. IT can be a useful tool for catching and prosecuting offenders. HOWEVER, CCTV has been pretty useless against preventing violent crime even in areas where they are known to be. <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196941/The-violent-country-Europe-Britain-worse-South-Africa-U-S.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196941/The-violent-country-Europe-Britain-worse-South-Africa-U-S.html</a> And let us not forget the recent riots, eh? How'd those cameras work then? <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14436499" rel='nofollow'>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14436499</a> Oh they allowed us all to watch as innocents were repeatedly victimized (the bicyclist)...
G. Orwell
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 7:21 p.m.
Isn't this discrimination against the poor and black neighborhoods? Where are the civil rights groups. The "authorities" always start with the less desirable then gradually move to surveil everyone. Soon it will be all of Yosilanti Township. Then all of Washtenaw County. We already have multiple surveillance cameras at numerous intersections for "our safety." Can you say creeping police state!
nonameplease
Fri, Oct 7, 2011 : 6:43 a.m.
It's not an all black neighborhood. I agree they need to put the cameras there. That park needs surveillance... Let's keep the neighborhood safe. Children go there and needs to be safe.
Richard
Fri, Oct 7, 2011 : 12:17 a.m.
The poor black neighborhoods are getting safer because of this so please look at it from a different angle; Someone is finally trying to do something to help the poor black folks.
Robbo
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 9:57 p.m.
"Isn't this discrimination against the poor and black neighborhoods? Don't be silly. It's targeting crime, not the poor and black neighborhoods. Justice is colorblind. Where there's the most crime gets the scrutiny and - hopefully - arrests.
Roadman
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 9:07 p.m.
@G Orwell: I do not think this surveillance system violates the Fourth Amendment or any other laws, but you are correct, it is getting very creepy that the government is beginning to intrude upon our sense of peace of mind. It is a political issue - activists opposing ths surveillance should be vocal about it.
cinnabar7071
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 9:06 p.m.
So you know that only poor and black folks live in this neighborhood? I betting some white folks and a few well to do live their also. But if you want to make this about race go ahead and try. I'm guessing this has more to do with crime and protecting those that live there.
jondhall
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 : 7:17 p.m.
This is a very small price to pay for the security it will add. I vote yes as this is a great idea, would like to know how much of a deterrent the other cameras have been?