Surveillance cameras in downtown Irwin planned for safety, not Big Brother, police chief says

Irwin will install security cameras on utility poles at seven intersections in the downtown business district in a move that police say will enhance security.

The cameras will be installed along Main Street at the intersections of Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets, as well as Pennsylvania Avenue and Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue and Oak Street, said Chief Dan Wensel.

“It’s for public safety. We have a large amount of events” that attract many people, Wensel said. “It’s not for Big Brother’s watching over you. It’s a safety concern.”

Wensel said he hopes to have the system operating in July.

The downtown is the site of events ranging from a chili cook-off and car cruises to parades and outdoor music concerts.

ComTrol International of Irwin was awarded a $32,847 contract on June 14 to provide the borough with the cameras and monitors that will be placed in the police department offices on Main Street. To pay for the project, the borough will use money from a state Community and Economic Assistance Program grant.

Each unit mounted on a utility pole will contain a camera with four small panoramic lenses inside the camera, a ComTrol spokesman said. The lenses also have infrared capabilities to enhance the pictures taken at night. The cameras will have Wi-Fi capabilities that will transmit encrypted signals to monitors in the police department.

The officers will be able to view the monitors, and the video will be stored for 30 days before the police department will record over those images, Wensel said.

While the cameras will transmit the signals, the borough will need permission from West Penn Power Co. to use its utility poles and to provide electrical power for the camera system, Wensel said.

One of the Main Street business owners pleased to hear about the installation of security cameras was Gary Scott, owner of Main Street Music at 327 Main St.

“It’s good to have more security,” Scott said. “The only ones that would not want it are the ones that would worry about it.”

It is a good idea that the borough police would have more information about an incident “if, God forbid, something would happen,” said Rosanne Novotnak, executive director of the Norwin Chamber of Commerce, whose office is in the 300 block of Main Street.

“You hope they don’t have to use it, but unfortunately, we don’t live in that kind of society anymore,” Novotnak said.