Beaver County officers are putting in cameras close to key intersections in almost 12 communities to restrict crime – CBS Pittsburgh

ALIQUIPPA, PA (KDKA) – People in a neighborhood of Beaver County recently noticed cameras going off in the area and wanted to know why.

KDKA learned that the city of Aliquippa had installed cameras for the past six months, Aliquippa Police Chief John Lane confirmed. There are currently around 36 cameras near major intersections.

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The boss called this partnership with Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier and several other law enforcement agencies a “positive step” in fighting crime and increasing the protection of people living in the area.

(Photo credit: KDKA)

“If we can get the shooters and drug dealers off the street, get them to change their behavior, to let the citizens rest quietly at night, that is our goal,” said Lozier.

Lozier said he and several other local prosecutors did so as part of a crackdown on serious crimes in five counties, in hopes that rates will drop as cameras go up.

“These are cameras that read a license plate when a car passes an intersection. We use these at key intersections to catch criminals after a serious crime, ”said Lozier.

More than 1,000 cameras will be installed near around 200 intersections in the region. In Beaver County, cameras currently cover about 30 intersections in nearly a dozen parishes, including Aliquippa, Chippewa, Beaver Falls and New Brighton.

“The camera can now identify the color, make, model of license plate and possibly a bumper sticker on the back,” Lozier said. “I know Chippewa has solved a number of accidents, robberies and bank robbers. We have had murder victims.”

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Chief Lane told KDKA that the cameras were installed in his area on Broadhead Road and have since been placed near schools and some parts of the city with high crime rates.

KDKA discovered cameras on a silver pole near the 1200 block of Sheffield Avenue that were recently installed.

“Anyone who doesn’t want extra security is obviously doing something,” said Kenneth Crumb.

According to Lane, the volume of police calls has dropped significantly since the cameras were installed and has fallen by 50 percent in the past few months. Lane said the cameras cost about $ 650 each.

Both Lane and Mayor Dwan Walker assured KDKA that these cameras are not funded by taxpayers’ money. Instead, old drug money could pay for them.

“In most churches, we use our funds for the loss of medicines that I pay part of and the church pays part. Sometimes a local company pays part of the installation costs, ”Lozier said.

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While the cameras won’t entirely stop the crime, Chief Lane hopes this will give residents and business owners an added sense of security.