E.F. gets cameras 9-3

By Jon Campisi

Star Staff Writer

The East Falls Development Corp. has a message for would-be crooks: We're watching you.

The community development organization recently installed 18 outdoor security cameras in the heart of the Ridge Avenue commercial corridor.

The cameras, which are owned and operated by the development corporation, were purchased with a $10,000 grant secured by state Rep. Jewell Williams.

The cameras are not the first of their kind in the neighborhood, according to executive director Gina Snyder. Five years ago, similar measures were taken on nearby Conrad Street after some business owners complained about incidents of vandalism and drug transactions.

"We saw a huge decrease in problems," Snyder said about the installation of the first set of cameras. "We have sort of a track record of doing this and having it work."

Then there were the cameras installed at the East Falls regional rail station on Midvale Avenue. Their presence also helped to keep crime down, Snyder said.

When it comes to Ridge Avenue, however, business owners had been experiencing different types of crimes, namely, retail thefts and burglaries. The state-run liquor store and Sunoco are two businesses that have had recurring problems, Snyder said.

"From most of the retailers there, people have shoplifted, or (committed) robbery-type things," she said.

"The chief crime on the Ridge would be retail theft," added 39th District Police Capt. Stephen Glenn. "The second would be theft from autos."

While many retailers have surveillance cameras inside their businesses, those security measures don't always work, Snyder said, since a would-be thief might come inside wearing a mask or hooded sweat shirt or something else to hide his or her identity, only to shed the garment after fleeing the scene.

The exterior cameras, however, could help to identify a perpetrator after he or she has left the premises.

"The great thing about these cameras is they would catch somebody out(side) of the stores," Snyder said. "Out on the street, they're more visible."

The cameras, while owned and run by the development corporation, are affixed to private businesses, with the merchants' blessings. Eight are located on the building occupied by Slices Pizza, another eight are affixed to Johnny Mananas, and two are placed at Franco's Trattoria.

"Local businesses agreed to house the system," Snyder said.

The cameras at Johnny Mananas restaurant are particularly integral as a crime-fighting tool, Snyder said, since they are pointed at both Ridge and Midvale avenues. The restaurant sits at the heavily-traveled intersection.

If a crime is caught on camera, the development corporation is able to transfer the digital recordings over the to the police department, which Snyder said has been supportive of the venture thus far.