CORNWALL – Closed circuit televisions cameras (CCTV) across the City of Cornwall, operated by local police, will be getting some upgrades.
Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner announced $48,500 for the Cornwall Police Service yesterday (Friday) for CCTV to deter crime, “especially in areas of gun and gang violence and other serious crimes.”
Cornwall is among 12 municipal police forces to receive money from the Ontario Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Grant Program.
In a statement to Cornwall Newswatch, the CPS says it’s pleased to get this new money, which will be used upgrade or replace roughly nine of its 17 existing cameras with “more current technology” to help investigate gun and gang related crimes.
“This new funding opportunity is a part of Ontario’s Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy in order to assist in equipping police with the necessary technology to improve surveillance capabilities. CCTV footage can play a critical role in detecting and preventing criminal activity,” spokeswoman Stephanie MacRae told CNW.
The grant for Cornwall’s work, called Project Clear Eye, covers half of the work. The upgrades will cost $97,000.
Seventeen cameras are in various parts of the city, including the downtown core, Le Village and Lamoureux Park and Ninth Street.
In 2019, CPS received a community safety grant that allowed it to install two cameras each year in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Most of those are along Ninth Street from Brookdale Avenue to McConnell Avenue.