WiFi Download, New Cameras Coming to Lower Gwynedd PD

Maybe, one day, you'll be (un)lucky enough to be on camera on LGPD TV.
Say cheese to the new high-tech updates of how Lower Gwynedd Township cops and administration do business.
Lower Gwynedd Township Police Chief Paul Kenny requested, and received, a $20,500 upgrade to the video and audio storage system at the supervisors meeting this month. This includes a new WiFi storage system, two new cameras and a $1,500 credit for upgrading to WiFi.
Lower Gwynedd Police budgeted $62,000 for the upgrade, Kenny said.
There were two other options under consideration: stay with the status quo or one new camera and the old hard drive.
Every patrol car, Kenny told the board and audience, has a small camera on its rear view mirror to record traffic and potential criminal incidents.
The cameras, he said, are activated by one of three things: police lights turning on, police sirens blaring or acceleration of more than 60 mph.
All recorded video, Kenny said, is saved and stored to a hard drive in the trunk of the patrol vehicles. Video is later used for evidence, he said. The cameras have an added bonus, he said: simultaneous front and rear recording.
The problem: technology has enhanced, and current technology in police cars has aged more than five years, he said.
"In technology terms," Kenny said, "that's ancient."
If a current camera breaks, he said, Lower Gwynedd Police has to find a used camera somewhere to fix it.
The new updates approved by supervisors give patrol officers lapel microphones to record incidents.
"When we do a traffic stop," Kenny said, "we also take audio, and video. You don't have a choice, but we'll tell you."
The new upgrades will give Lower Gwynedd Police luxury in how it uploads and saves video recordings. Kenny said a WiFi Hotspot will now transfer all hard drive material. An officer no longer has to physically remove the hard drive.
"When the car hits the Hotspot, the video automatically leaves the car, goes into the building and then to the computer in the station," Kenny said. "It's a great system. It's amazing how far technology has come. In 28 years, it's neat to see what things you can do now."
The videos recorded by police also carry an educational benefit.
"It lets officers see how they are driving," Kenny said. "It's a great tool for us to have."
Each camera cost $5,000 and software cost $12,000, Kenny said.
"The Pennsylvania State Police uses it. Several area departments use it," he said. "It's very simple. Our officers like it a lot."
Supervisors Chairwoman Kathleen Hunsicker asked if the WiFi system was the standard today.
"Everybody has them," Kenny said.
One supervisor joked with Kenny, and asked if he should send his granddaughter over to the police station.
"If anything can be broken, she can do it," he said.
One resident of Foulkeways at Gwynedd—where the supervisors held its July 23 meeting—said she supported the upgrades as a former resident of the City of Philadelphia.
"I support the police and I think, with the area in which we now live, the per capital income is high enough to support more than one (camera) to keep us all safe," she said.
Supervisors also approved the listing for the sale of two police vehicles: a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria with 118,000 miles, and a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria with 80,000 miles. A single-axle dump truck from 1997 is also on the block.
While the police fleet will decrease by two, the department is getting a new Ford Explorer.