Borough Accepting Donations For Camera Project
POTTSTOWN PA – Surveillance cameras being installed on Pottstown streets, under a program launched last August (2016) by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office, can now be supported by those who probably will benefit most from them: the public at large.
The borough announced Wednesday (March 8, 2017) on its Facebook page that individuals interested in donating to the Pottstown Police Surveillance Camera project can do so through Pottstown’s Xpress Bill Pay account, here. The borough’s creation of “a simple and secure method” to contribute online resulted from what its Facebook page called “an outpouring of interest” from those wanting to “help make Pottstown a safer place.”
The camera project is positioning video devices in designated areas as a sign of the district attorney’s office commitment to Pottstown and its residents, Borough Council members heard last year. It was prefaced by the formation and arrival of a Community Prosecution Unit in Pottstown, headed by unit captain and Assistant District Attorney Brianna Ringwood.
The video cams can produce clear images in both day and night conditions, which the unit expects to use “in apprehending suspects and aiding investigations and prosecutions,” according to a statement. The cameras also can be easily relocated to areas in which they may be needed most.
Each is wirelessly connected to displays in the police dispatcher’s office on East High Street, and will be monitored in real time. Pottstown Police Chief Richard Drumheller has reported the system is similar to one successfully deployed in Lansdale, where he said during five years of use the overall crime rate there has dropped by more than 30 percent.
In the future, the camera project may be expanded to as many as 36 devices.
Xpress Bill Pay is accepting donations as bank payments from either from a checking or savings account, or using most credit or debit cards. It takes only a few minutes to complete the information needed for the transaction, and the borough won’t mind at all if your trumpet your support on social media. Use the hashtag “#TakeBackOurStreets,” it said.
Photo from Google Images
