CONNEAUT —
Several electronic eyes are now keeping close watch on Conneaut’s waterfront, thanks to a sizable federal grant.
The Conneaut Port Authority recently activated a series of high-resolution security cameras that provide day and night surveillance of their lakefront holdings, said Thomas Belnap, chairman.
“Every aspect of the harbor is covered,” Belnap said. “And the image quality is quite remarkable.”
The camera program began nearly two years ago, when the port authority obtained a $200,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The Port Authority also made a cash contribution, Belnap said. The work also required the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees projects that could impact waterways.
“There were a lot of hoops to jump through to make this a reality,” Belnap said.
Installation work was done in large part by contractors from Ashtabula and Conneaut, “It was a long-term thing, but we’re pretty pleased with the results,” he said.
Images captured by the cameras can be viewed on monitor stations set up at secret locations in the city, Belnap said. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and the Conneaut Police Department also have immediate access to the images, he said. In fact, the main thrust of the surveillance program is to keep tabs on any illegal entry into the port and not local criminal activity, Belnap said.
“Its primary purpose is to watch for illegal entry,” he said. “The secondary use is for security.”
Conneaut Law Director David Schroeder praised the system earlier this week, saying its pivoting cameras can provide police with pictures that can be enlarged to show amazing details, including licenses plates — and faces.
The cameras will lessen the need for a police presence at the public dock and its environs, allowing officers to spend more time in other parts of town, Schroeder said. “It will free up officers from patrolling (the waterfront) as much as they have in the past,” he said.
The Conneaut Port Authority installed a few video cameras a few years ago to thwart break-ins to boats moored at its marinas, as well as vandalism to property. The Homeland Security cameras are a huge enhancement over those original cameras, Belnap said.
“It’s an incredible tool,” he said.
Authority members want to discuss other projects with Homeland Security that pertain to protection of the city’s north shore, Belnap said.
“We’ll want to touch base with them soon to see what’s next,” he said. “We’re exploring different things.”
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