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Board funds countywide public-safety camera system using 9-1-1 tax revenue
Summary
Supervisors authorized up to $150,000 from the county 9-1-1 tax fund to install camera systems at six sites (including parks and rec centers) and to display feeds in dispatch; staff said cameras will have 90-day retention and some poles will sit on cooperating private property.
The Amherst County Board of Supervisors approved using up to $150,000 from the county 9-1-1 tax fund to purchase and install public-safety cameras at six locations, with a 10-year software and maintenance component included.
County IT and public-safety staff described the proposal as a dispatch-centered surveillance and incident-response tool. Cameras are planned for County Administration, Mill Creek, Coolwell Recreation Center, the Monroe Community Center, Monacan Park and fertilizer-road trail access; staff said the plan includes PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) capability, 90-day retention and two large display monitors for the 9-1-1 dispatch center so dispatchers can see live feeds and provide immediate situational awareness to responding officers.
Staff said some cameras will require cellular SIM cards and that the sheriff’s office will cover ongoing cellular costs in the sheriff’s budget. Crew and placement decisions considered vandalism risk and elevation; Lee (property) representatives agreed to allow a camera on their pole at the fertilizer-road trailhead. The board approved the $150,000 authorization from the 9-1-1 tax fund by voice vote.
