The addition of a number of cameras was a topic of discussion at the North Royalton City Council’s March 20 Safety Committee meeting, with the additional cameras being more than just plate reading.
North Royalton Police Chief Keith Tarase proposed the addition of five cameras to the City’s ten Flock Falcon cameras. North Royalton City Council had approved the lease of ten Flock cameras in December, 2022. Two of the cameras would be the same plate-reading cameras that would be added to the ten cameras already in place. Three of the Flock cameras would be Flock’s Condor cameras, which are full surveillance cameras.
The current cameras are part of a motion-activated system that takes two pictures of each vehicle. One picture would be of the entire back end of the vehicle, allowing for vehicle type recognition. The other picture would be a close up picture of the license plate. Although the picture is not delivered in real time, it would take only seven to 15 seconds to read and alert police to potential vehicles in question. The system runs the plates through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which is a database that would show active warrants, stolen vehicles and AMBER alerts. A car make and plate can also be added that would be of special interest, such as a robbery. The information is held in the cloud for a 30-day period. The information retrieved by the systems could be accessible to other law enforcement agencies, even if they are not currently utilizing the system in their own jurisdictions. Those ten cameras cost the City $28,500 first year, then a recurring $25,000 yearly. The initial lease contract was approved for a two-year period. An additional five-year lease, with a two-year option was then approved for $25,000.00 yearly, adopted in November 2023. The cameras were installed at entry points into the City and through some major thoroughfares.
The two Falcon cameras would be placed at the intersections of Bennett and West 130 Street and Sprague and West 130 Street. The three Condor cameras are not license plate reading cameras. According the Flock website, the Condor cameras are “remote-controlled, live and recorded on-scene video” cameras. The recording would include whatever the range of the camera’s lens would capture. Tarase said he would like the cameras for the intersection of Ridge Road and Rt. 82, Wallings and State Road, and the York Road ball fields.
Tarase is asking for a two-year lease on the added five cameras, at a cost $20,050 for the first year and $15,000 for the second year. That would be in addition to the current $25,000 per year cost of the original ten cameras.
When asked why the three new Condor cameras are being requested, Tarase said that they would “maximize their value in investigative purposes. State/Wallings is an area where a number of police calls are taken (accidents, thefts, suspicious activity). Ridge/Royalton is also a high traffic area, which would have coverage of the business district, schools, and City Green area. York Road Fields has attracted a criminal element during summer months. There are also City assets in the area. The cameras are another tool to help us do our job.” When asked if it is the City’s responsibility, via taxpayer’s money, to help with the security of businesses, Tarase responded that “I know some businesses have cameras and some have alarm systems. If they don’t, we are still expected to investigate.”
Council will further discuss this proposal at the next Safety Committee meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, April 16. Committee meetings begin at 6 p.m.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer