Kevin, a parks department staff member, demonstrated the department's new park camera system during the Logansport Parks and Recreation Board meeting, saying the system will replace older cameras, record continuously, and provide searchable analytics for trail use and incidents. He said the city is moving from cellular gateways to a point‑to‑point network and that the system retains video for about 30 days and provides usage analytics for planning and safety.

Why it matters: the department said the cameras will help staff identify property damage, vehicle and pedestrian patterns at events such as Christmas in the Park and improve evidence gathering for police. A visitor and a board member raised concerns that the system's advanced analytics and retained footage create privacy and cybersecurity risks that the department must manage.

Kevin said the department has registered many cameras at trailheads and high‑use areas, and that some locations will be migrated from cellular gateways to a point‑to‑point link that uses existing fiber paid for by the city. “We were fortunate enough to be able to get onto the FirstNet system,” Kevin said, describing FirstNet as the public‑safety cellular network used by police and fire that reduces congestion during high demand. He added that many of the new cameras are high‑definition and that the system can generate counts and movement paths, for example showing how people enter and exit trails.

Kevin and other staff described operational details: the system currently retains footage for about 30 days, analytics can count people and vehicles, and managers can search by attributes such as clothing color or vehicle make and model across cameras. He said the initial procurement was presented to the city council as a lump sum and that the contract is roughly $125,000 over three to five years, with an annual operating figure of about $37,000 and a warranty/service arrangement that staff said covers defects and next‑day replacement.

Visitor Joseph Stackhouse told the board he installs similar systems and urged caution. “That company was docked, like, $3,000,000 dollars by the FTC in 2021 because private data did get out,” Stackhouse said, urging strict access controls and modern security practices. Kevin said camera access is limited and requires two‑factor authentication; he said only a small group — he and Jan Folly plus a few officers while the system is being staged — have logins and that the department can provide tiered access (analytics only, clip sharing, or full access) when necessary.

Board member Jason expressed reservations about the technology’s reach. “I’m a little concerned with the fact that we can track people's license plates and their faces and what color clothes they're wearing,” Jason said, asking the board to consider how footage might be used and when it should be shared.

Staff described how the system has already helped in at least one case by capturing a vehicle doing “donuts” at Fairview; the video was passed to police and an arrest followed. Kevin said the vendor supports face/vehicle detection and optional lists (for example, registries that can trigger flags if enabled) but characterized such features as optional and subject to policy decisions.

Operational next steps identified during the meeting included completing remaining gateway installs, transferring gateway units to hard‑to‑reach parks such as Dyckman and Bishop Park, and continuing staged installations at Houston Park, Spencer Park, Little Turtle trailheads and others. Kevin estimated the current project would be largely complete by the end of the month or into early October, although some sensors and door hardware remain outstanding.

Staff said the vendor platform (Verkada) uses secure cloud access with multi‑factor authentication and that access is restricted; Kevin said the department can share individual clips when required for investigations. Board members asked staff to coordinate with the police department on training and access protocols.

No formal votes or policy actions were taken at the meeting; the board received the demonstration and discussed operational, security and privacy questions.

Ending: Staff and board members agreed to keep police engaged as installations continue, and staff said they would move remaining gateways and finish camera installs in the coming weeks.