Deputy reports low November enforcement; board weighs camera upgrades and monitoring options

Deputy Simon Yorks delivered the Chelsea Sheriff's Office monthly report at the Dec. 18 meeting, saying deputies conducted a total of 20 motor-vehicle stops in November and issued two traffic summonses while focusing on high-visibility enforcement near schools and business checks.

"We had a total of 20 motor vehicle stops in the month of November with with only two tickets that were issued," Deputy Simon Yorks reported to the board, noting additional patrols and follow-up on reports of suspicious activity on Harland Drive.

Residents raised local safety concerns during the update, including school pickup congestion and speeding on a campus-adjacent road; several asked the board to explore flashing lights or other mitigations for the school zone. The deputy said deputies would continue targeted patrols in the problem areas and advised coordination with the school for safety measures.

Later in the meeting staff presented two camera-system quotes: one vendor using existing wiring (roughly $6,000) and another with higher installation costs. Discussion examined trade-offs between DVR systems with continuous coverage and battery/cloud systems (cheaper per camera but with coverage or battery-life constraints). No procurement decision was made; the board asked staff to seek additional quotes and said upgrades could be packaged with the planned new town office work.

Next steps: staff will gather additional bids and return cost options for board consideration; deputies will increase patrol focus in the flagged school and Route 9 areas.