The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved an approximately $9,000 contract with a Bay Shore, N.Y.-based company to install cameras and a monitoring system at Talmadge Hill Parking Lot.
The security measure is intended to protect the New Canaan Police Department’s “impound lot” at the top tier of the Talmadge Hill lot, according to Joe Zagarenski, senior engineer in the Department of Public Works.
“This camera will perform double duty, as it will give us the first coverage that we have over in that lot,” Zagarenski told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “It’s been our overall goal for security for some years now. This will provide the view of the Talmadge Hill Lot for it.”
First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted in favor of the $9,324.49 contract with A+ Technology & Security.
Zagarenski said funds for the installation are coming from a townwide public safety initiative. (The town in 2022 approved $200,000 for a wide-ranging effort that includes installation of security cameras and light posts in public spaces.)
Karl noted that there have been car break-ins at Talmadge Hill in the past, and asked whether the security camera is expected to help with the problem. Zagarenski said it’s more of a “panoramic” view of the lot that’s especially focused on the impound area.
“But it’ll give you additional views,” he said. “The challenge with cameras is you don’t have them in the right spot. You’d have to basically litter the lot with cameras. It wouldn’t be all that helpful. But it will provide some coverage.”
Asked whether the town could move the camera to be more useful in that way once the police are no longer using Talmadge Hill for an impound lot, Zagarenski said yes, and it’s inexpensive.
The cameras are IP-based and use 5G technology, he said.
Since the system is cloud-based “we can relocate that anywhere or we could change the view of it anywhere, or we’ve got another camera to have a more focused view for a different initiative,” Zagarenski said.
The selectmen said that commuters would be supportive of more security cameras at Talmadge Hill.
[Note: this article has been corrected to say that it is not expensive to reposition the security cameras.]
So what’s the point of a “panoramic’ view? Seems like the police are securing their property more than public property. How ironic! And wasteful.