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Residents press Millville commission for more cameras and officers; officials outline staffing and technology plans
Summary
Residents urged the commission to install more pole-mounted cameras and restore community policing after recent violent incidents. Commissioners said the city is evaluating camera vendors and aims to reach a staffing goal of roughly 80–85 officers to reinstate community-policing units.
Several Millville residents used the public-comment period on March 17 to press the Board of Commissioners for more cameras and a stronger police presence in parks and neighborhood hot spots.
"We should try to get more cameras," said Divina Forrest, a longtime Millville resident who said she has multiple home cameras and urged the city to expand pole-mounted surveillance in areas she described as being affected by drugs and weapons. Forrest described repeated safety concerns around South 3rd and South 4th streets and told the commission she had captured footage that could help investigations.
Commissioner Taylor, who leads the public-safety discussions, acknowledged the concerns and said the department is recruiting aggressively. "The chief knows we have a goal of 85 officers by the end of this year," Taylor said, adding the city hopes to reinstate community-policing units and special units as staffing allows. He said the multi-jurisdictional recruitment market is tight and that the city is working on pay and step improvements to retain officers.
Commissioners also said they are meeting with camera vendors to evaluate hardware and software. One commissioner said the city is looking at cameras with integrated artificial-intelligence features that can assist detection, although commissioners cautioned about cost-effectiveness and said full AI suites may be expensive.
Resident Deandre Heath suggested evaluating gun-detection systems like ShotSpotter; commissioners said they have heard about such technology and will consider options but noted budget and effectiveness questions remain.
Mayor Dixon and other commissioners thanked residents for reporting incidents, reminded the public that enforcement actions are typically complaint-driven, and encouraged community reporting through anonymous tips and the city’s request-tracker system.
The commission did not take an immediate vote on a specific camera procurement at the meeting; officials said staff will continue vendor discussions and return with cost estimates and a recommended approach.
