Aug 24,– SPRING VALLEY LAKE — Community leaders want to send a message: If you plan to commit a crime in Spring Valley Lake, don’t forget to smile for the camera.
S p r i n g Va l l ey L a ke A s s o c i at i o n’s b o a rd o f directors recently approved a $175,000 contract to install a high-tech wireless video surveillance system across the community, including in its equestrian estates.
The cameras will capture “evidence — quality” footage both day and night, SVLA General Manager Jon Sabo said. Both the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department and the California Highway Patrol can access the feeds and use the tapes to help prosecute criminals.
And while the cameras won’t be capable of capturing sound, Sabo said license plate and vehicle recognition abilities will be built into the system.
Sabo said they expect to have cameras at six locations by Christmas, with the potential for 22 sites at build-out.
“Some of the cameras will be visible and some will not,” he said, with footage streaming into SVLA’s public safety dispatch center.
The board last year approved $175,000 for a first phase of the project, Sabo said, to do engineering work and a technical analysis. The community now has “several” limited systems in operation at public spaces across the community.
Earlier this month, during a special meeting, the board approved another $175,000 for the project this fiscal year. Sabo said much of that second-phase funding will go toward building out the wireless network and to install receiving equipment.
It’s possible that they could go to a third phase next year, according to Sabo, but that hasn’t yet been determined.
“We just want to make sure that we keep people as safe as possible,” said Ernie Martell, vice president of SVLA’s board of directors. With the economy being what it is, Martell said the board fears incidents of theft and vandalism could otherwise get worse.
