Council approves Elmwood Park camera installation; emergency amendment added to guard against price escalation

The Independence City Council on May 13 accepted a bid from Marjek Communications to install security cameras at Elmwood Park, with equipment and installation priced at $39,185 and budgeted at $50,000. Council added an emergency amendment to the ordinance citing security needs and potential near-term price escalations for camera equipment.

Staff said the project would add approximately 13 cameras with 37 total lenses across the Kiwanis Pavilion, press box, old recreation center and pool area. City officials said the cameras will integrate into the municipal "single pane of glass" monitoring platform and that monitoring can occur on the municipal network; park staff will maintain a control station at the recreation department.

Staff and the police chief discussed retention schedules for camera footage; record retention varies by system and currently the city retains some camera feeds for several days (police detention/jail video retention runs longer), and the system can be expanded for longer retention if needed. Council approved an amendment to declare the purchase an emergency measure to avoid price escalation and to ensure public safety benefits are realized promptly. The contract award was placed on the consent agenda and adopted that night.

Councilors and staff said the cameras have been helpful in past incidents and that the installation will support public safety and property protection at frequently reserved and unmanned park facilities. No explicit change to retention policy was adopted at the meeting.