ADRIAN — The city of Adrian is considering the installation of 32 security cameras in four city parks.
Parks and recreation director Jeremiah Davies discussed the idea with city commissioners at a study session on February 5. The parks under discussion are Island Park, Comstock Park, Riverside Park, and Trestle Park.
Davies said the city has had problems with vandalism and crime at the parks, and has spent several thousand dollars on vandalism-related repairs over the past few years.
“This is becoming an expensive issue,” he said.
City staff reached out to several companies, both locally and outside the area, and received a quote from Southfield-based InaComp of $88,000 over the course of 10 years for 32 cameras with 4K resolution and the software to run them. Information technology coordinator Gordon McKinney said the company also offers other payment options, but the $88,000 plan would be the cheapest without cutting down on the number of cameras.
The city’s internet service provider, D&P Communications, would charge $90 a month per location to provide internet connections to the cameras, McKinney said.
Commissioners did not take any action, because the discussion was preliminary, but those who commented were supportive of the idea.
“We owe it to our citizens,” commissioner Gordon Gauss said. “They’re paying for the parks; for them not to be able to use them just isn’t right.”
During the public comment portion of the study session, city resident Joshua Franck raised two concerns. First, he asked if there is data to support the idea that cameras will prevent vandalism. If there is to be surveillance of city residents when they use the parks, he said, the city should be able to demonstrate that it will fix the problem.
Second, he noted that the cameras will probably catch people sleeping on benches, and said it seems like they would contribute to the criminalization of homelessness.
“They’re people and they exist,” Franck said. He added: “Homelessness is not a crime.”
The city has an ordinance that limits park hours to between sunrise and sunset, and bans camping in the parks. That ordinance was passed in 2020 amid significant controversy, with opponents citing its impact on people experiencing homelessness.
