Trending
ELKINS -- Elkins City Council voted to accept $950,000 in federal funding to install approximately 75 street cameras, as well as dashboard cameras in all Elkins Police Department vehicles.
The EPD applied for U.S. Department of Justice Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funding for law enforcement technology upgrades, and earlier this year it was informed it had been approved for $950,000.
Elkins City Council needed to vote to accept the funding at its most recent meeting, but the vote was not taken until after a 15-minute public discussion and a 25-minute executive session.
During Thursday evening's council meeting, Fourth Ward Councilman Andrew Carroll asked that information about the new technology be shared with the public.
"This isn't about what can be done legally," he said. "Rather, this is what ought to be done. So we have to ask ourselves what kind of community do we want to be, how do we want to promote public safety? This should be a conversation about how do we weigh privacy, safety, general freedom, and kind of what's the vibe of our general community. Do we want street cameras on every corner like New York City?"
Police Chief Travis Bennett said, "I'd rather answer this question in a private setting. To explain this entire project, there are security concerns that I would much rather discuss privately. I have no problem explaining this to you and easing your concerns, but I would rather do that in a different setting."
Mayor Jerry Marco added, "I do feel comfortable in saying that the cameras will not be used to spy on. They will not be used for monitoring. We do not have the staff for that. They will be used a lot for evidence after an event happens. I can say that in public, but I agree with the chief, some of the sensitivities when you're putting a security system in place, you can't give somebody the keys to circumvent it."
Bennett noted, "There is not constant monitoring of the system. This is going to be something that is used when we have investigative needs."
Marco said, "The city doesn't have the manpower or a command post to sit and look at screens all day. That's the reality."
Carroll asked for details about data storage from the cameras.
Marco said, "We are following the national standards for that, is what I can tell you. There are standards in place that we are obligated to follow."
Bennett added that, with the application approval, the city now has funding available to have this system in place for the next 10 years.
Carroll asked, "Are we looking to catch drug trafficking or human traffickers, or are we looking to use this to issue speeding tickets?"
Bennett said, "If you reference West Virginia State Law, it's illegal to issue traffic citations based on cameras."
"Are we going to use facial recognition at some point?" Carroll asked.
Bennett responded, "This system is used to detect, deter and investigate crime. Period. That's all it's going to be used for."
Fifth Ward Councilman Cody Thompson then asked, "Would this system have facial recognition technology? Would that be feasible?"
Bennett responded by saying, "Feasible? Yes."
Carroll asked, "Is that something you anticipate on using?"
Bennett said, "Again, I would like to discuss the details and capabilities in a different setting."
Carroll then added, "I'm fine to move to go to an executive session, but I really do feel like the public needs to hear these answers, and needs to know what the capabilities are. I don't think we need to play coy about what the city can do."
At that point council went into executive session, returning 25 minutes later with no action taken.
The motion to accept the federal funding was then approved, with all council members present voting in favor. Third Ward Councilman Chris Lowther was not present.
According to a City of Elkins press release, similar camera systems are already in use in multiple West Virginia cities, including Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Morgantown and Parkersburg.
Bennett said camera placement is being carefully considered to balance privacy and public safety.
"We are not planning to place any cameras in primarily residential neighborhoods," Bennett said in the release. "We simply want to be able to look back at traffic movements and incidents occurring along the city's major rights of way. There is no intention to try to capture activities on private property."
Bennett says the installation will proceed in three phases. In the first phase, cameras will be placed at all major entrance and exit points to the city, such as the Beverly Pike, Harrison Avenue, North Randolph Avenue, and U.S. Rte. 33.
In the second phase, cameras will be placed at all major intersections and points of interest throughout the city.
In the third and final phase, cameras will be placed in all city parks.
The installation of dashboard cameras in all EPD vehicles is another major component of the project.
"We were very excited to implement body-worn cameras on all EPD officers earlier this year, and we're excited about implementing dashboard cameras for the same reasons," Bennett said in the press release. "The more video recording we can produce about police activities and interactions with the public, the more accountability and safety there is for all parties involved. Body-worn cameras have already proved to be a great part of our toolset and dashboard cameras are going to play a positive role in our work as well."
The installation of street and dashboard cameras is seen as necessary due to recent trends and pending developments in the Elkins region, officials said.
"Elkins was recently designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area," Bennett said in the release. "That's good in terms of the additional resources it brings to support our interdiction efforts, but of course it also confirms what I and my officers already knew about the high level of illegal drugs coming into and through Elkins.
"Drug and human trafficking through this area is only going to increase once Corridor H is completed. This camera program is a proactive step that will help us get ready to meet these challenges and keep Elkins as safe as possible."