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Freeman council approves purchase of multi‑directional security cameras after technical review
Summary
The Freeman City Council voted to buy a multi‑directional camera system for several public locations, favoring a local‑storage setup to avoid ongoing cloud fees; members discussed specs, warranties and budget implications before approving the purchase.
A majority of the Freeman City Council voted to purchase a multi‑directional security camera system for several public locations, including the golf course, the fire hall and a pole near Total Stop and Heritage Pharmacy. A council member presenting the options said the preferred vendor, Dakota Surveillance, quoted $16,895 and offered a four‑terabyte server option.
The presenter described the camera as an "8 megapixel, 4 channel, multidirectional sensor" unit containing four individual cameras in one housing and internal storage designed to retain recordings for about 30 days. "So if you're looking at cost, we're looking at $16,895 for Dakota Surveillance," the presenter said. He and other members emphasized local storage and one‑time hardware costs as ways to avoid ongoing monthly cloud fees.
Another council member noted the Dakota package included a four‑terabyte server while other vendors had two‑terabyte proposals; city staff recommended increasing storage during installation. "I would up that hard drive," one member said while moving to accept the Dakota Surveillance quote.
Council members also discussed warranties and on‑site support: one vendor's on‑site option carried a five‑year camera warranty, and the council heard that Dakota had provided the most thorough on‑site assessment of camera locations. The police budget was cited as the likely funding source; the attorney reported the police budget had $33,007.96 remaining.
After technical clarifications about cabling (Cat‑5/6 to supply power and data) and how images would be retrieved (downloaded directly from the camera units), a motion to buy the system and increase storage passed on a roll call vote. The motion was moved and seconded by council members in the transcript. Council members said the system would be an improvement for Freeman and thanked staff for researching options.
Next steps are to finalize contract details, confirm installation timeline with the vendor and proceed with procurement and setup. The council also discussed saving camera footage on thumb drives for transfer to the state's attorney or defense counsel when required.
