Jeannette to add more surveillance cameras current ones already pay off for police

Jeannette police plan to add more surveillance cameras to Clay Avenue after the ones recently installed assisted in a stolen vehicle investigation last month.

City council approved buying six more cameras that will be affixed to utility poles at intersections along the street, said police Chief Shannon Binda.

“Our intersections will be fully covered and viewable,” he said.

In mid-December, 10 cameras were installed at intersections with $10,000 that had been seized during drug arrests. That money was forfeited to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office and turned over to Jeannette.

The additional six will cost $2,500, Binda said. Two of the cameras will be covered under the grant, with the remaining four will be paid for from a police special equipment fund.

The high-definition video helped Officer Derek Manley investigate a report of a stolen vehicle on Dec. 22, just days after the cameras were installed. Manley said the video clearly showed a woman get into a Toyota 4Runner, drive away and return later. She was later arrested and charged with theft.

The victim was seen on footage coming out of a business, looking around for his vehicle and then calling police.

“It just verified what the victim said,” Binda said.

Police have immediate access to the cameras through monitors in the station. The added devices will cover every angle of the intersections.

The cameras can reach a couple blocks onto the side streets, and they have the capability to zoom in on license plates. Some businesses on Clay Avenue have their own cameras, but images aren’t always immediately accessible for investigative purposes, Binda said.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta.