Thurston County’s fastest growing city is adding new camera technology to parks in an effort to crack down on crime.
“I think it's very sad that people come to a place, like this, of peace and rest and not appreciate it and, worst of all, damage it,” said resident Bob Conklin.
Yelm city officials said they've had problems at public parks recently. People have trashed the restrooms, ripped out sinks and spray painted the walls.
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The crimes often happen at night and repairs add up quick.
"Repainting the walls on a regular basis, replacing toilets, replacing sink fixtures,” said City Administrator Michael Grayum. "These are taxpayer dollars, these are taxpayer concerns, and we want to take care of them."
The city just added a motion sensor to a camera at Yelm City Park. It alerts on-duty officers when people are in certain parts of the park after dark.
"It just lets our officers know, hey, there are some folks in the park afterhours, they may want to go by and make sure everything is OK,” said Chief Todd Stancil, Yelm Police Department.
Stancil said the technology is already making a difference.
"We were able to come over here and identify an individual that ended up having a felony warrant and had some narcotics in his possession and whatnot, so we were able to give him a more appropriate place to stay for the night instead of our city park,” he said.
The city said the goal is to keep the booming South Sound community safe and family-friendly.
"I think it's good they're trying to keep it safe. This is a beautiful place and I hate to see it damaged,” said resident Nancy Adams.
The city plans to add more motion sensors to park cameras this summer.
Cox Media Group
