About a dozen surveillance cameras will be installed on Bullitt Avenue in Jeannette through a grant from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office.
The cameras will be bought and installed with $11,432 in money seized during drug arrests in the city, police Chief Shannon Binda said. The cameras will be affixed to utility poles and investigators will be able to view a couple blocks onto the side streets, he said.
“We’re just trying to expand our downtown district with cameras for the safety and welfare of the community,” he said.
Police have had success in solving crimes with the help of 16 cameras installed along Clay Avenue and its side streets for the past year. Binda said the cameras helped investigators make an arrest in a home invasion and assault on Clay Avenue.
“It helped us solve numerous cases that, otherwise, we may not have been able to solve,” he said.
Those cameras were funded by a grant from District Attorney John Peck and a police special equipment fund. Binda praised Peck’s cooperation.
“He’s gone above and beyond, as far as I’m concerned,” Binda said.
Police have immediate access to the high-definition video through monitors in the station. The devices on Clay Avenue cover every angle of the intersections.
The cameras have the capability to zoom in on license plates. Police also have a security camera registry for businesses and residents who would consider giving investigators access to their footage.
