Surveillance Cameras Installed at Maplewood Parks, Downtown Locations

A network of surveillance cameras became operational in Maplewood last week.

The $125,000 surveillance camera system, which was first approved by Maplewood City Council last March, gives police officers the ability to monitor activity at five public locations from their office desks, police cars or smart phones:

• Deer Creek Park
• Marietta Avenue public parking lot
• Intersection of Manchester Road and Sutton Boulevard
• Intersection of Manchester Road and Yale Avenue
• Ryan Hummert Memorial Park

The two parks were selected because of occasional vandalism, and because parents say older kids are causing problems on the playgrounds, said Steve Kruse, chief of the Maplewood Police Department, in a previous Patch article. The other three locations were selected to monitor vehicle and pedestrian traffic downtown while providing a safe shopping environment, he said.

Officials are still working through the bugs of a new system, but most cameras are completely operational, Kruse said.