YUCAIPA, Calif. – Officials in this Southern California city with a population of 53,000 has approved additional security cameras to be installed at intersections and public parks.
The City Council on Monday approved a $117,672 contract with Leverage Information Systems of Woodinville, Wash., to install cameras and conduct system updates as part of the citywide video surveillance system project, according to redlandsdailyfacts.com. The council approved an additional $10,000 for electrical work.
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The project also calls for loudspeakers to be installed at sporting fields and outdoor activity centers. Existing cameras at a community center will be linked to the surveillance system, and a high-speed wireless link will be installed connecting City Hall and the community center.
The council waived going to bid for the project and contracted with Leverage Information Systems, the same company that installed the cameras during the previous phases, according to the newspaper. This installment is the second part of the project’s fourth phase.
Jason Underwood, the city’s IT administrator, told the newspaper the surveillance system has been very effective in moving criminal activity out of the parks and other areas of the city.
“Jason is the eye in the sky and calls us,” San Bernardino County sheriff’s Capt. Tony Onodera told the newspaper. “He’s a great reporting party and he has notified us of in-progress crimes. We have responded and made arrests.”
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Onodera said the Police Department has obtained a Homeland Security grant to create a command console at the police station where volunteers will monitor the camera feeds.
“We’re looking forward to it growing and growing exponentially,” he said.
