The funding comes as reports of gunfire have increased in Springfield over recent years and there have been multiple homicides so far in 2022. The hope is that mobile technology purchased by the grant money will help police better monitor and obtain more information in areas impacted by violent crime.
The new surveillance cameras are to be placed in what has been described by city officials as “hotspots” of violent activity.
“We will be able to move these cameras in positions to be able to get a better idea of who is coming in and going out of those areas when we have crimes like that. We can more readily identify suspects and the vehicles they are using. This will be mobile and can be moved as needed,” said Springfield Police Chief Lee Graf.
“We hope this will go a long way in kind of helping us when we sometimes are having problems getting witness information. This will help us get information to help us combat some of these violent crimes,” Graf added.
The grant money will also be used to purchase some stationary cameras as well as similar technology. The upcoming grant allocation does not relate to body cameras as money for those purchases are being allocated to police departments throughout the state in a separate grant program.
The money that will be used by Springfield police for the purchase of surveillance cameras is part of the third round of the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced in June that Springfield was one of sixteen law enforcement agencies in the state that will receive a portion of $3.9 million in this funding round.
The state program was created last year and aims to provide more resources to communities in order to address violence.
DeWine said in June during a visit to Springfield, to announce the third round of funding, that the nature of how gun violence presents itself throughout the state is changing, with more young people committing and dying by gun violence.
“Springfield is not immune to what we’re seeing,” DeWine said. “We really target violent crime. We’re seeing our cities become shooting galleries, and people have the right to be safe in their neighborhoods and live in peace.”
Grant funding that will be allocated to Springfield will also cover the purchase of technology that will be able to automatically read license plate numbers.
