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Castle Rock Crime Prevention Officer Jeff Gann can't make 24-hour patrols of the Park and Ride lot at Exit 49 off I-5, but a grant he sought will provide cameras for 24-hour surveillance of the lot to help reduce property crimes there. Bill Wagner / The Daily News

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Cameras give police an edge in patrolling Park and Ride lot

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 11:31 PM PDT

By Barbara LaBoe

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CASTLE ROCK — They won’t be asked to smile, but would-be car thieves here will soon be on candid camera. The city recently received a $7,000 grant that will allow officers to place the Park and Ride lot near Exit 49 under 24-hour video surveillance.

In addition to recording activity at the lot, officers with Web access — including from their patrol cars — will be able to log in and check the lot’s status whenever they choose.

“We’ve been talking for years about doing something like this,” said Officer Jeff Gann, who wrote the grant as the department’s crime prevention officer. “So we can monitor problem areas without having to physically sit there 24 hours a day.”

The Park and Ride is “always a hot spot” for car thefts, car prowls and thefts of catalytic converters and gasoline, Gann told the City Council recently. It just made sense to try to increase surveillance.

It’s the first project of its kind in Southwest Washington and could serve as pilot project for others, said Evan Olsen, urban programs policy analyst with the state Department of Transportation.

Encouraging people to use the lots and reduce the amount they drive alone is important, and increasing their comfort with the lots is one way to do that, Olsen said.

“It will be interesting to see the impact that this project has,” he said.

In addition to helping solve crimes at the lot, Gann said he hopes the cameras deter crime because people will know they’re being watched. The cameras are designed to withstand vandalism and theft attempts, he said, and will give a view of the entire lot.

The city as a whole has seen 30 car thefts in the past three years, which Gann said is a lot for a town of 2,100.

Initially, two cameras will be installed at the Park and Ride lot. But the system is expandable and up to 30 more cameras could be added, Gann said. That means other areas in the city could potentially receive video surveillance if more cameras are purchased, Gann said.

Also, it’s possible that eventually the public will have access to the cameras’ feed, meaning car owners could check on their cars throughout the day, Gann said.

The grant is from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority, a division of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. The grant was awarded this month, and Gann hopes to have the cameras and system in place by the end of the year.

Police Chief Bob Heuer said Gann is to be commended for finding a creative way to solve an ongoing problem in the city. He added that grants, which don’t require city funds, are a great way find extra programs or equipment in small departments.

“He made an outstanding effort to make this idea a reality,” Heuer said.

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CRmoma wrote on Aug 5, 2008 11:34 PM:

" Where's the grant to pave some of the roads around town, especially ROAKE!!! "

Joey wrote on Aug 6, 2008 7:42 AM:

" I set up my own surveillance at my home in Kelso. It lets me log in over the internet and see what's going on inside my house. Not only that, but It has a scheduled motion detection that will record video when it senses motion while my wife and I are both at work during the day. The only thing I needed was a $20 web cam and free software I found over the internet! It's a great investment and I encourage others to consider doing something like this for security and peace of mind! "

mikadax wrote on Aug 6, 2008 7:48 AM:

" Bad news for whoever has been T P'ing cars with post-it notes all week lol! "

Mr. Chinook wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:10 AM:

" Good Job Castle Rock! I hope you catch some of these low-lifes that are doing all the vandalism. The county should have cameras at the boat launches around here, too. Once again, way to go Castle Rock (Officer Gann). It's nice to know that our officers are looking for things like these grants to help in the fight against crime and not just sitting at the donut shop. Other local police departments should sit up and take notice. I wish we could spend less on government red tape and B.S. and give our officers more financial incentive to come up with ways to make our communities safer places to live. "

scratch007 wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:24 AM:

" Proactive or reactive?

I think this another crutch to allow the police to do less. Or maybe continue wasting time on the wrong things like 7mph speeding tickets. "

LH wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:25 AM:

" Just hope this camera is better then the ones at the recently robbed banks. "

Tortoise wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:32 AM:

" scartch007: woe is you. Another citizen who's bitter that they got caught doing something illegal and had to pay the consequences. Boohoo. "

averageguy wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:49 AM:

" I agree with LH. How are these cameras going to help if you can't ID the person, the car, or anything because the quality is so bad. In my opinion, all this will do is provide evidence to the prosecuting attorney for the 3% of cases that are caught and tried in court. "

Nom D'Plume wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:52 AM:

" Well done Officer Gann. The citizens of CR are lucky to have such a great group of officers. They are, by far, the best this town has ever had. As for you, scratch007, quit your whining and obey the law. Maybe speed cameras will be next! LOL! "

dogshead wrote on Aug 6, 2008 9:26 AM:

" Joey- where did you get you home serveillance system? I'm interested, thanks! "

Cheney119 wrote on Aug 6, 2008 9:50 AM:

" I think you missed the point, this is another crutch to allow police to do more (no less). I'm for providing security for people with jobs, from people who don't have jobs (or probably want one either). "

BigMike wrote on Aug 6, 2008 9:52 AM:

" This seems very 1984/Big Brother style. Pretty soon they are going to want to put cameras in our homes, they will tell us "if you don't have anything to hide then you won't mind". Slippery slope. "

randyredneck wrote on Aug 6, 2008 9:59 AM:

" I have installed a camera system also since it can be very hard to get routine patrols in my neighborhood. Perhaps they could buy a few cameras to control the flow of motorcycles up and down that nuisance they call the riverfront trail. "

Joey wrote on Aug 6, 2008 10:29 AM:

" dogshead: I just use my $20 web cam that I got from BestBuy several years ago and then downloaded a free piece of software called yawcam from yawcam.com. A bit of computer knowledge would be useful in setting this up but it is totally do able. I had it up and running in about 20 minutes. "

DUH wrote on Aug 6, 2008 10:30 AM:

" Hey Cheney119, are you implying that all unemployed people are criminals? Are you implying that all criminals are unemployed? Over the years I have had several things stolen from me by fellow employees. I have had my car broken into twice by co-workers. You might be surprised to find out just who the criminals are out there. I am glad that not everybody thinks like you. For if they did and you ever lose your job, they'd all look at you as a criminal. "

viper wrote on Aug 6, 2008 11:44 AM:

" well at least they can set back and watch someone steal the new camaras should be worth something at the pawn shops right tweakers ! great job C/R hope it works but have my doubts that they will, if someone don't steal them , or the quality is to poor do id someone and how often you check to see if anyone is there great attempt at it anyway :Viper "

Crystal wrote on Aug 6, 2008 12:43 PM:

" Don't worry you conspiracy/big brother people, the metal wiring or whatever will be stolen within the first month of installation and then there won't be enough money to keep up w/ the metal thieves. Yeah, they might be on camera, but they can just as easily spray paint them black or shoot them out w/ a bb gun beforehand while out of view. "

kitten wrote on Aug 6, 2008 1:18 PM:

" Why did they give the vandals and thiefs a heads-up about this system? Now they will just go to a different area to do their dirty work or destroy the camera. "

Beavis Carries a .45 wrote on Aug 6, 2008 1:29 PM:

" Awww man! How am I supposed to get my free gas for my Hummer now? Hopefully those cameras are real blurry and out of focus. Like the ones used in the bank robberies. Guess I'll just have to go to the Longview and Kelso park and rides. Vrooooom vrooooom!!! "

Mr. Chinook wrote on Aug 6, 2008 1:39 PM:

" Why are so many respondants so negative? This is a good thing. At least they are TRYING to do something. Why don't you complainers run for city council? Don't just gripe -- do something about it! As for the speeding tickets -- what do you expect when you break the law? I hope this camera frees up more officers to patrol and catch more lawbreakers ( tweakers, metal thieves, vandals, etc.). "

berryjewels wrote on Aug 6, 2008 1:47 PM:

" RE: Crystal, "Don't worry you conspiracy/big brother people"? almost sounds like you have given them something to look forward to and a time frame to do it in. You think there is a conspiracy? don't you think it is about time that all police departments city officials start looking into ways to prevent more of the serious problem areas we have or is that cutting into your territory? Sounds like your words may be backed by some experience. "

dogshead wrote on Aug 6, 2008 2:12 PM:

" Thanks Joey! "

Gondolapete wrote on Aug 6, 2008 3:06 PM:

" How is setting up cams in a park and ride lot "Big bother" tactics? "

steelheader457 wrote on Aug 6, 2008 3:18 PM:

" Way to go castle rock. how about more late night patrols. and then throw some early morning patrols in also. always looking for something fishy around my town. eyes in the sky. our cops rock. "

Tortoise wrote on Aug 6, 2008 6:34 PM:

" Unfortunately, Castle Rock cops are typically only on duty until 3AM. "

Rural Citizen wrote on Aug 6, 2008 7:38 PM:

" I am all for the surveillance system but the cost is outrageous. I spent one tenth of that amount to put 24/7 security cameras on my property of 2 acres. I think I spent about $500. Installed it myself. I think SEVEN GRAND is overkill. "

mom of four wrote on Aug 6, 2008 7:53 PM:

" If only we had to worry about kids tee-peeing and sticking post-its on cars! The parents musy be weathly toliet paper and post-its are expensive.;) "

lola*in*longview wrote on Aug 6, 2008 8:38 PM:

" Mr. Chinook, I don't think people are being really negative, I think its more of realistic way of thinking. I think its's a good idea to have the camera's in places like this, but it usually is just a matter of time before the criminals out there put on a mask and go take the camera down and steal it or the wiring, then on to the cars. I hope it doesn't happen but...... "

mole wrote on Aug 6, 2008 9:49 PM:

" Hey,big mike it would serve the government right,if they but a camera in my house!!!I'm built like a fat BULLFROG,how long do you think they would watch that circus act!!!!!!! "

Crystal wrote on Aug 7, 2008 4:24 AM:

" I've lived in Castle Rock long enough to know stuff like that happens all the time...with Cowlitz Co. being the meth capital of Washington, it's not that big of a stretch to assume metal theft of surveillance equipment would happen. I do agree w/ Lola though. I hope it helps, but it probably won't last long. "

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