Chester Trustees OK Installing ‘Flock’ Cameras Throughout Town
During the Chester Township Trustees meeting Nov. 14, they passed a motion to have Flock Safety cameras installed throughout the town.
During the Chester Township Trustees meeting Nov. 14, they passed a motion to have Flock Safety cameras installed throughout the town.
Police Chief Craig Young said using Flock Safety — an “all-in-one” technology platform that aims to eliminate crime in communities, according to its website — will give police access to a database of cars that are being searched for in investigations like robberies, missing people and stolen cars.
“We are going to be using technology as a means to combat the influx of drugs into Chester,” Young said.
He said they negotiated down to a 50% reduction for installation, which will cost $13,500 to set up and $12,000 every year following. The money for the cameras comes from the National Opioid Settlement Agreement the township participated in to combat drugs coming into Chester.
Both Lake and Cuyahoga counties have Flock Safety cameras installed and all stations have access to the database. The installation is projected to be completed by the end of the year.
The use of PlowOps was also brought up by JR Miller, the midwest territory manager for the service software.
PlowOps is a “snow removal service software that efficiently manages snow plow tracking and road clearance for city public work offices,” according to its website.
The program is also used to track snow plows and their routes in real time, ensuring all roads were cleared properly with dashboard camera evidence. The program’s main selling points are the digital database and distraction-free driving for plow drivers, Miller said.
The program also allows for constituents to make inquiries in a public portal where they can also see if their road has yet been cleaned on a map. The program isn’t just for snow-plows in the winter; it can also be used to track mowing, street sweeping and leaf pickup, Miller said.
Trustees did not make a final decision on the program at last Thursday’s meeting.
During public comment, a group from the Pinewood neighborhood expressed concern in complying with the 40-foot driveway setback requirement due to the cost and confusion about township versus resident responsibility.
A spokesperson for the neighborhood said he received a letter from the township asking him to pay $680 for road reconstruction repairs.
“To pay for something to improve a road, which I’m going to live there for quite some time, I just think that’s ridiculous,” he said.
Trustee Chairman Craig Ritcher said they enacted this requirement to help with drainage of the road and it is the responsibility of the resident to pay.
Although things like the drain are not the responsibility of the resident to take care of, it also lies in the right-of-way, Ritcher added.
“Every resident in the county pays for 40 feet of pipe. Whether it’s 12-inch, or whether it’s 36-inch,” Road Superintendent John Onyshko said.
“The road pipe replacement has been going on — I don’t know when we changed it to be 40 feet, but it’s been going on for every road that we’ve repaved or did a full reconstruction on and it’s the same process,” Young added.
If road-related repairs or improvements are performed in the right-of-way along the frontage of a property, it is not because the township wants to ruin the esthetics of the property, it is because the officials believes the work was necessary to maintain the road which you have invested tax dollars into, according to the township’s website.
Ritcher told the group he’d talk with them further, but couldn’t promise a resolution they would be satisfied with.
