Chrisman to be under surveillance?
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
The storm sewer repair project between Indiana and New York seems to have hit a snag. As the manhole was being installed as part of the repair to stop water from flooding the basements of neighboring homes, it was found that other tiles in the pipeline have collapsed.
“It’s doesn’t do us any good unless we get those fixed,” said Commissioner Cory Chaney. “They’re going to check that tomorrow and they’ve got the tiles on site.”
The pipe, going back to the west had about six or eight inches of silt and dirt inside, which will be taken out. Feutz gave Chaney a quote to replace from New York Street to the manhole with new pipe, including time and material, that would cost $37,000.
“That’s one hundred eighty-seven dollars a foot,” Chaney said.
The city does have some pipe available for Feutz to use, along with sand and pea gravel on site.
“This will help eliminate some of the additional cost that would come to us,” Chaney said.
On Washington Street, when B&T came to put in their line, they hit a drain line off of a homeowner that came out of their basement and into the city’s storm drain. The drain that came out of the house also had a sink and toilet tied to it that went into the floor drain that came out of the house and tied into the storm sewer.
“That has been cut off. Jason Gore has done all that work down there and for the homeowner, he’s going to bill B&T directly,” Chaney said. “I’ve talked to Knight Insurance about the claim the homeowner filed and that’s going to B&T.”
On the off chance that B&T’s insurance company refuses to pay, it would come back on the city. When Chaney spoke with the owner of B&T, he stated they would take care of it and make it right. When the weather turns warm, the dirt will be leveled and re-seeded.
Scott Moore, Scott Foster and Kris Martinez were in attendance at the meeting on behalf of the Edgar County Neighborhood Watch Group. Moore asked the council if they were familiar with ‘flock cameras’. Flock cameras are able to capture the images of vehicles’ rear ends and license plates as they enter and exit the community.
“The nearest town to Chrisman that have them would be Tilton and Danville,” Moore said. “Danville has roughly forty and Tilton has a total of ten.”
Most of the time, the cameras are mounted on a traffic sign pole, even a traffic light pole on major routes with heavy traffic. The location of the cameras would be up to law enforcement on where they should be placed.
“What we would like to do is see the cities of Chrisman, Kansas, Paris and Edgar County come on board to purchase and install the flock cameras,” Moore said. “Not everybody needs that many, it just depends on the layout.”
Chrisman only has two major state routes in Route 36 and Route 1. If Chrisman were to purchase and install the cameras, it would make sense to put two cameras to take a picture of the front and the rear plates. The cost of the cameras ranges from $2,000 to $2,500 each with an upfront cost of $500.
The cameras are also leased every year through Flock Safety. The purchaser doesn’t own them, they are strictly leasing them and Flock will maintain the cameras.
The first year of the contract will be closer to $2,400 due to the installation and this includes a two year lease. The second year, the installment fee is taken off. The cost then for the cameras would be $2,000 every year for the lease renewal, but could be subject to change.
The Neighborhood Watch Group has been looking into possible grants to help smaller towns pay for the fees. The cameras are also solar powered.
The only people that can view the images taken on the camera are the police. If a stolen vehicle comes through and the camera takes a picture of the plate, that picture is sent to the on duty officer in that area and alerts them.
“It’s an app that we have on our computers and we can look at any area we’re working,” said trooper Kris Martinez. “It’s not just for stolen vehicles, if there’s a burglary, armed robbery, domestic batter or someone with a warrant, and someone has a vehicle description, we can type that in and we can see the vehicle.”
The cameras in Tilton recently helped solve a murder that was committed in Chicago. The car was caught on one of the Flock cameras and the suspect was arrested. Moore has experience with the cameras as he is a parole agent from Vermilion County and has tracked stolen vehicles.
The City of Veedersburg tapped into Danville’s cameras to find a truck that was stolen from a pig farm and ended up in Danville.
“They had a picture of the individual that stole it, sent it to the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department and we had the guy in two hours,” Moore said.
In Kankakee, a kidnapping and sexual assault case was solved with the help of the Flock cameras. The cameras have helped law enforcement with numerous cases.
“Let’s say Danville has a drive-by, law enforcement will go to the nearest Flock cameras and start working out investigation wise,” Moore said. “Nine out of ten times they can pin point the vehicle that was shot, involved or the shooter’s vehicle.”
Moore stated that he would like to see the mayor, council and any police officers attend a program hosted by a Flock representative on February 22nd in Paris at Memorial School at 6:00 p.m.
“As of now, we’re a hole in the area because we don’t have them,” Martinez said.
Recently, Paris has seen an uptick in crime, mainly focused on break ins and smash and grabs. “That’s why I think we’re getting hit so hard in thefts and retail thefts in Paris,” Moore said. “They’re happening at five o’clock on a Thursday evening. I think if criminals knew we had these cameras, they would be less tempted to come to our communities.”
The cameras take pictures anytime there is movement around them and can be viewed for up to seventy-two hours. The police are able to search based on the car make and color to help narrow down the search. They can also check in a certain time frame if they know when a suspected car came through.
It’s believed that by February 22nd, the Flock representative will have a map laid out on where the cameras would need to be placed in Edgar County.
“Having you guys and the other towns together, you can agree or disagree on it,” Scott Foster said.
The driving force behind the Neighborhood Watch is to get people to communicate in order to make their town safer.
“Working together is what it is all about to make our community safer and better to live in,” Moore said.
Commissioner Chaney stated that he had people in town ask him about ordering more Neighborhood Watch signs to put up.
“I ordered more signs,” Chaney said. “And as soon as they come in the girls will let me know and I will get them put up.”
A database has been started in Edgar County for anyone who has a Ring doorbell or anything similar. The camera can be registered along with the location at the home. With the homeowners approval, the camera can only be accessed by the police department if they believe it will help them solve a case.
Mayor Danny Owen stated that he is very much for the cameras as long as the city is able to afford it. He was assured by the group that more information will be available. Scott Moore mentioned the possibility of the city asking local businesses for donations to go towards the purchase of the cameras.
