Posted: Nov. 3, 2009

Bayside — Police Chief Bruce Resnick is hoping to enlist the support of the community to raise $30,000 to purchase two cameras that would be positioned on a pole at Brown Deer and Port Washington roads. The cameras would be monitored by the employees in the village dispatch center around the clock.

The cameras, he said, would help the department solve crimes and respond to accidents in the area with greater efficiency.

The intersection of the two roads is a busy crossroads for the village, with commercial development on all four corners.

Resnick said that within two blocks of the intersection, the village has had approximately 1,300 calls for service over the past year. The calls have ranged from a fatal accident, armed robberies, robberies, thefts, vandalism, suspicious activity and bad checks.

When officers are nearby, the crimes are often quickly resolved. When they are not nearby, they often remain unsolved.

The cameras would provide an additional tool, giving dispatchers assistance to determine the identity of suspects, their mode of travel and the direction in which they are traveling.

Best Buy, located at the RiverPoint Shopping Center, has donated 42-inch LCD TV, a Harmony one-button remote control, and a Global Positioning System as first-, second- and third-place prizes in a raffle to raise funds for the cameras. The raffle tickets are available at Village Hall, 9075 N. Regent Road, at a cost of $15 for one ticket or three for $25. The drawing for the winners will be held Dec. 30.

 

- Mary Buckley