The North Riverside Village Board on Sept. 18 voted unanimously to award a $39,000 contract to Forest Park-based Illinois Alarm to install new surveillance cameras in Village Commons Park and near other municipal buildings that are part of the Commons complex.
While cameras have been in place for years, the new ones are high-definition cameras that will mesh with the Bosch Divar 5000 hardware installed during the 2016-17 fiscal year after the prior unit, installed about a decade ago, ceased functioning.
The upgrade calls for seven high-definition outdoor cameras in Village Commons Park, including two cameras that can be programmed to move in order to scan areas of the park.
In addition, 18 high-definition cameras will be placed inside municipal buildings, such as the police department and North Riverside Village Commons.
North Riverside Police Chief Lane Niemann said the cameras have been useful in identifying people who have vandalized the park in recent years, adding that knowing the cameras are around may also help deter wrongdoing.
“We’ve had several minor incidents where we’ve been able to identify kids involved in a few incidents of vandalism,” Niemann said. “If they know the cameras are there, maybe people will think twice about doing something in our parks.”
Niemann said the new equipment is slated to be installed this fall.
“I want to get it done in the next couple of weeks; the next month for sure,” Niemann said.
The North Riverside Village Board earmarked $40,000 for the camera replacement project in its 2017-18 budget. The village received three proposals for the cameras, with Illinois Alarm the low bidder. The other bids came in above budget, between $43,000 and $45,000.
