CAMERAS ARE WATCHING TO MAKE PARKS SAFER.Byline: JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape SKEEN Staff Writer LANCASTER -- Looking to cut down on crime and bolster a feeling of security among residents, city employees and sheriff's deputies are using remotely operated cameras to watch two parks. The digital surveillance cameras, which cost the city $77,000, are in operation at Jane Reynolds and Eastside parks Eastside Park is a residential neighborhood in the Eastside of Paterson, New Jersey east of downtown. Once the home of the city's industrial and political leaders, the neighborhood experienced a significant downturn as industry fled Paterson. , and they can be operated from desktop computers by deputies, park rangers A park ranger is a person charged with protecting and preserving protected parklands, forests (then called a forest ranger), wilderness areas, as well as other natural resources and protected cultural resources. and parks department leaders. ``This is a worthwhile investment of city funds,'' Mayor Henry Hearns said. ``With all the beautiful facilities Lancaster has to offer, we want to make sure that residents feel secure in our parks.'' The cameras are part of a three-pronged effort to provide security at city parks. The other prongs are park patrols Park Patrol is a computer game released in 1984 for the Commodore 64 computer. It was later also released for the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum. It was designed by Tony Ngo and published by Activision. by a sheriff's team and patrols by city park rangers to act as eyes and ears for deputies, said Lyle Norton, director of Lancaster's Parks, Recreation and Arts Department. In addition to viewing what the cameras are seeing, from their computers city personnel and deputies can change camera views and zoom in on areas of interest, Norton said. Some of the cameras can be relocated re·lo·cate v. re·lo·cat·ed, re·lo·cat·ing, re·lo·cates v.tr. To move to or establish in a new place: relocated the business. v.intr. to other parks. Each camera is capable of storing a month's worth of data that can be used during investigations, city officials said. In a survey of residents conducted this summer, people who said they did not use the city's parks or recreation programs cited feeling unsafe as the leading reason. ``The main opportunity for improvement is with residents' perceptions of the sense of safety and security at facilities,'' the consultants wrote. ``Overall, this finding seems to be more of an overall feeling than a problem at a specific facility.'' City officials said they think the cameras will help residents feel more secure at the parks. ``If people feel safe in parks, they will take advantage of the opportunities for recreation each park provides,'' said Bob Greene This article is about the modern journalist and author. For the personal trainer and fitness expert, see Bob Greene (fitness guru). For other persons named Robert Greene, see Robert Greene (disambiguation). Robert Bernard Greene, Jr. , assistant director of the parks department. ``That means there will be more activity, and, generally speaking, more activity leads to a safer environment.'' The cameras are from OSC O.S.C. n. short for Order to Show Cause. (See: Order to Show Cause) Digital, a company that has made cameras for the Navy, the U.S. Border Patrol, several Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. casinos and several Fortune 500 companies. james.skeen(at)dailynews (661) 267-5743 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) A newly installed camera watches the area at Jane Reynolds Park in Lancaster. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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