The Jamestown City Council will likely move ahead with the purchase of new utility pole surveillance cameras.

Members of the council’s Public Safety Committee approved the purchase during a recent meeting, with no council members voicing opposition during their work session later in the evening.

Timothy Jackson, city police chief and public safety director, has asked for permission to purchase six utility pole surveillance cameras. The cameras will cost $75,900, with $50,600 to be paid with American Rescue Act funding and $25,300 to be paid with federal drug seizure money.

The cameras are designed to look like electrical transformers and, according to the staff memo supporting the purchase, can be accessed remotely, are equipped with low-light settings that can be adjusted remotely and offer 320-degree coverage. The cameras would also be able to be moved into problem areas as needed.

Surveillance cameras have helped close two cases of illegal dumping on Pratt Avenue in recent weeks. For the second time in about a month, police were quickly able to identify those responsible for throwing two tires and a rug to the side of the road. The latest incident, the department said, occurred around 7:20 p.m. May 31 on Pratt Avenue, an area known for illegal dumping. A photograph taken from a camera installed along Pratt was distributed to the public and, within minutes, police were given the location of the vehicle reportedly involved in the May 31 dumping. Earlier in the month, the department announced charges to three area residents after the same camera captured a GMC pickup truck drive along Pratt before a mattress and TV were tossed to the side of the road. Similar charges were filed.

“Unfortunately with the issue on Pratt and some other areas that seem to be desolate or not uninhabited, if you will, people think it’s an easy dump,” Ecklund said. “It’s not. I think people are learning how quick to respond … and not only that, depending on what you throw out you’re facing some serious (environmental conservation) fees. If you dump oil, $1,500 isn’t going to be your fee, it’s going to be a lot worse. It’s a multi-pronged approach and that’s the discussion I’m having. While we can monitor and fine, what are we trying to do to prevent.”