Committee approves exterior multi-sensor camera; discusses retention and upgrade costs

At its Dec. 5 meeting the Town of Lakeville Police Station Building Committee approved a Signet proposal to install an exterior multi-sensor camera on the back of the outbuilding to provide up to a 270-degree view of an area being considered for an impound lot.

Taylor (staff member) summarized the proposal as a $5,002.72 furnish-and-install price for the exterior multi-sensor camera. Committee members and the police chief discussed system capabilities: the camera can be digitally zoomed, configured for motion detection and set at lower frame rates (the meeting referenced a baseline of five frames per second and a 30-day storage baseline under current settings). Project staff said adding another 30 days of storage would primarily be a matter of buying additional disk storage (terabytes) and estimated an upgrade likely under $5,000.

The committee approved the camera proposal by voice vote. Members noted that retention settings, frame rates and additional storage purchases can be adjusted later after the system has been operating and staff understands actual recording volumes.

Why it matters: camera coverage of the outbuilding and a potential impound lot affects evidence collection and police operations; retention policies and storage size affect the department's ability to preserve footage for investigations or court dates.

Details and technical notes: committee members discussed configuring motion-triggered recording and potentially lowering frame rates in low-activity zones to conserve storage. The committee requested pricing options for longer retention so the department can make a follow-up decision if needed.