MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — Medical Lake will install surveillance cameras that record around the clock at several city parks in response to ongoing vandalism and crime problems.
The City Council recently gave the final go-ahead for the project, which will cost just under $65,000 and aims to have cameras operational by Halloween.
The surveillance system will monitor busy areas at four parks: Waterfront Park, Coney Island Park, Pioneer Park, and Shepherd Field.
At Waterfront Park, two cameras will be set up. One positioned at the beach area, and another mounted high on a pole near the baseball field.
The initiative comes after repeated incidents of property damage and criminal activity in the city’s parks.
“Bad words all over the picnic tables and on the concrete,” said Annette Humphrey, describing the vandalism she regularly sees at Pioneer Park. “And it’s just ridiculous that they do that.”
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office will be the only agency with access to the camera footage. The project is funded through public safety dollars in the city’s budget, which includes both state and local funds.
“I think it’s amazing. We need more surveillance out here,” Humphrey said.
Annual operating costs for the camera system will be approximately $2,000 per year.
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