Gloucester Township Police Department unveils new Remote Monitoring Station and mobile camera trailers
Police officers can monitor live or recorded video from each of the 136 cameras installed around Gloucester Township
The Gloucester Township Police Department unveiled a new Remote Monitoring Station and mobile camera trailers shortly before Mischief Night and Halloween. The Remote Monitoring Station is linked to 136 cameras that exist throughout the township, including at the public works building, community parks and other undisclosed locations. The mobile camera trailers are placed throughout the township at parks without permanent cameras.
With these new systems, the police department now has the ability to see more of the township with live video feeds from many of its community parks and township properties.
“What it allows us to do is put more eyes on the ground for us,” Mayor Dave Mayer said. “It’s more of an efficient way of patrolling the public areas.”
Mayer said it’s also an investment in the township’s properties.
“We have these parks, and open spaces are great assets for us,” he said. “We want to make them stay great. By coordinating all the cameras into one station, we are able to do just that.”
Lt. Brendan Barton said when issues occur in monitored areas, camera recordings in the moments before or after can reveal vital clues or suspects. Those recordings can also provide valuable information to responding police officers.
“We are always looking for new and creative ways to reduce and prevent crime,” he said. “The goal is to deter, stop and solve crime, and increase safety.”
The camera trailers change location weekly depending on crime trends and activity. Currently, it’s located at Timber Creek Dog Park.
This has already proven effective because of an arrest since the new cameras were implemented.
“We just had an arrest of an individual that tore up the gravel parking lot in one of our parks doing 360s and speeding through,” Mayer said. “We were able to locate the truck and find the driver, and now he has to pay for the damage he’s caused.”
Mayer said the township has reduced crime by 35 percent since 2010, and he hopes this program can continue to make Gloucester Township safe.
“We’ve made tremendous progress since 2010, and we want to keep Gloucester Township safe,” he said. “It is a safe community, but the more we can to reduce crime, the better quality of life is for everyone in our town. That continues to be our goal.”
