Utah town may seek federal grant for security cameras

By Brice Wallace
Deseret Morning News

CLEARFIELD, Utah — Beware, gang members and graffiti artists. Clearfield may eventually get some new "eyes" to combat your trouble. While only in the preliminary stages, the city is considering applying for U.S. Justice Department grants that would allow Clearfield to install perhaps 10 or more security cameras at public trouble spots, such as parks or trails.

Currently, the city has cameras only at the city building and at a skate park. "We think it would be successful," Police Chief Greg Krusi said. "Currently, not having cameras, we have a great deal of property damage done by taggers and gang members. And unless we can get a break in a case, those (cleaning) costs are absorbed by the city.

"If we can develop a security camera system that can notify us when that's occurring or give us a good visual picture of our perpetrator, hopefully that would help get the word around that, hey, don't graffiti Clearfield."

City and police officials have been talking about such a system for a year and a half, and they have until the end of June to file a grant application. Cameras can cost about $15,000 each, although many variables can swing that figure up or down.

Krusi noted that if the city secures the funding and installs the cameras, the department would need to get the word out that it would be scanning for trouble at city wells, public parks or perhaps overpasses and bridges that have become what he called "constant palettes" for graffiti artists. He said that many people in public places or crowds have some type of camera but acknowledged that some people worry about government intrusion into their privacy.

"We would have to put out information to let people know that we are not peeking into their windows or anything like that but simply watching in an attempt to deter crime in our public areas," Krusi said. "Our intention is strictly to protect those types of public areas we have a control over from a city standpoint."

The pole-mounted cameras would follow up the department's installation of dashboard cameras for police cruisers. About $200,000 in grant funds were secured last fall for the installation of dash cams in 26 cars and for some cameras for officers to wear on their lapels.

The department is testing the service, which would automatically download video wirelessly whenever police vehicles pull into the police parking lot, he said.

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