Vandal-cam
Motion-activated surveillance warns criminals at Golis Park: 'Leave the area now'
Monday, March 14, 2005
By Clark Mason
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
cmason@pressdemocrat.com
ROHNERT PARK
Click. Flash! You're on candid -- make that vandal -- camera.
Anyone poking around Golis Park these nights can expect to have his or her photo taken, accompanied by a bright flash and a loud message announcing, "Leave the area now."
In an effort to deter persistent vandalism in city parks, Rohnert Park has adopted the latest tool to fight back: a motion-activated camera made to dissuade, if not identify, the perpetrators.
"We're pretty confident it's going to be effective," said Assistant City Manager Steve Donley. "And if someone vandalizes the park, we'll know who they are -- or at least have their picture."
Vandalism is no trifling matter in Rohnert Park, where it cost close to $100,000 last year for just two instances in which fires were started in recreation rooms at two city parks.
More mundane damage runs from graffiti and carving in picnic tables to plugging, blowing up or hammering on toilets and wash basins.
Sometimes, sprinkler heads in the parks are deliberately broken off. Other times, would-be thieves break into shuttered ballpark concession stands looking for food or money.
As the weather warms up, particularly around spring break, there is usually a spike in vandalism at the city's 12 parks and 22 miniparks.
With that in mind, the City Council recently approved the purchase of the specialized FlashCam, which has been in place in Golis Park for about three weeks.
The plan is to rotate the camera to other parks as needed, perhaps buy more in the future, or even put in some dummy cameras too.
"We need to catch these vandals, or let them know we're looking for them," said City Councilman Armando Flores, who said his fellow council members were enthusiastic about the new camera.
Mounted about 25 feet off the ground on a light pole, the toaster-sized FlashCam is set to go off between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m., when city parks are closed. Violations of the curfew can be punished as a misdemeanor.
The manufacturer, Q-Star Technology of Chatsworth, said the camera senses motion up to 100 feet away and is enclosed in a rugged steel case, with a bullet-resistant lense cover. It operates on batteries with standard 35 millimeter film. The voice comes from a digital voice recording.
Cities in Southern California have found the camera deters vandalism and trash dumping. In the Bay Area, San Francisco, Corte Madera and San Jose report the cameras reduce graffiti and other illegal activity.
"It will pay for itself, I'm sure. Just scaring them off a few times would pay for it," said Brad Rosaschi, general services supervisor in the Rohnert Park Public Works Department.
He said even more cameras would be welcome to stop damage like that which occurred overnight Thursday when extensive racist graffiti was plastered on walls, tables, a basketball court and even the trees at Benicia Park.
In some cities, the cameras have not been welcomed by civil liberties watchdogs who said they are not illegal, but enable an undesirable 24-hour-a-day surveillance of citizens.
But police say they work, with word of the cameras spreading quickly among graffiti taggers. Some systems also are being used to deter burglary. Other jurisdictions report the cameras discourage drug dealing and prostitution.
Rohnert Park Councilman Tim Smith said his only concern was whether the bright light from the camera and loud voice from the recording would bother nearby residents. But he was told it would not.
And although he believes privacy is an important right, Smith said the cameras do not really intrude because they are operating in a public park, where there is no expectation of privacy.
"It should deter the kind of activities we want to have deterred without bothering law-abiding citizens," he said.
You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or cmason@pressdemocrat.com. |
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