Huber Heights council advances pilot of mobile park security system after months of complaints

Huber Heights — City council members on March 18 agreed to move forward with a staff recommendation to pilot a commercially leased, mobile security-and-deterrent system in city parks and to review the pilot's performance in two months.

The system proposed for a 12-month, all-inclusive lease is sold by LVT and combines cameras, directional floodlights, public-address messaging and automatic alerts to dispatch. City staff described the unit as portable and solar-powered with a small backup generator and a web interface for customizing detection parameters.

The pilot drew extended discussion because residents living near Community Park have repeatedly reported late‑night disturbances and because council members said existing fixed cameras mostly provide evidence rather than discourage activity. “Cameras are not a deterrent,” Councilmember Don said during the discussion. “Cameras are really great for a fairly blurry image of somebody running away from the crime scene, but they're not a deterrent.” Mayor Mary Gore said the system’s automated response — lighting, prerecorded messages and escalation to dispatch — is what makes the unit useful. “The camera's not the deterrent. The action is the deterrent,” she said.

Staff emphasized features they said distinguish the proposal from a conventional camera installation: the vendor configures detection “zones” and thresholds, the unit can play a recorded message or flash lights to clear an area, the vendor hosts the recorded video (staff said the library is accessible 24/7 from the vendor's server) and the unit is portable so it can be moved between parks or deployed at special events.

Council members pressed staff on neighbor impacts and nuisance risks. Don and others said the directional lights and alerts can be configured to avoid disturbing nearby homes. Councilmember Kate asked whether the lights would operate during the day; staff responded settings are customizable and can be tuned to avoid nuisance activations. Several residents who spoke during the discussion said they support a visible, active deterrent along the fence line at Community Park.

Costs and next steps: staff said the vendor's published price is about $2,800 per month (roughly $33,600 annually). Finance Director Jim Bell told council he had included $30,000 in the supplemental appropriation package on the Monday agenda to cover a partial-year pilot and that Parks staff believed they could absorb that sum from seasonal salary savings rather than ask council for a budget increase. Council agreed to place the pilot lease on the Monday agenda and to review whether it should continue or be expanded at the June 1 meeting.

The council did not take a final procurement vote at the March 18 work session; members directed staff to begin a pilot if council formalizes the lease on Monday. Staff also discussed a 30-day trial period offered by the vendor so the city can collect operational data before committing to a full year.