Gary’s Chief of Police Derrick Cannon, right, shows U.S. Congressman Frank Mrvan, Jr. a city map with locations of stationary LPRs

License plate readers provide more eyes on the streets for Gary Police Department

Contributed By: The 411 News

Gary’s Chief of Police Derrick Cannon couldn’t give an exact number of license plate reading cameras he will purchase with $264,000 in federal funding, but he does know they will help his department improve surveillance and support officers in their day-to-day work.

U.S. Congressman Frank Mrvan, Jr. (IN-01), responsible for delivering the funds to Gary and its police department, joined Chief Cannon in making the announcement at the Monday, June 15th press conference inside GPD’s Real Time Crime Center. “I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that all of our first responders have the equipment and technology they need to perform their duties,” Mrvan said.

Gary’s Real Time Crime Center came online in November 2023 after GPD received $1,000,000 in federal funding.

A map showed the placement of stationary LPR cameras located across Gary’s 52 square miles. Cannon said the next purchase will help fill in gaps between cameras on the city’s major thoroughfares and in areas densely populated with people and vehicle traffic.

Currently, GPD’s 170 LPR cameras – 73 stationed on streets and the remainder in squad cars – send real-time data to the crime center to help police officers identify vehicles associated with criminal activity, locate missing people, and recover stolen vehicles.

“If we had 500 cameras, I don’t know if that would be enough … it all depends on what we’re trying to accomplish,” Chief Cannon said. “If a situation happens in an area without cameras, then that means we don’t have enough. And that might be specific to one resident or specific to a group of people. We want to make sure everyone is included. This is a public good; everybody should have access to this type of protection.”

Cannon described the cameras as “force multipliers … providing additional information to officers on the streets, going on 911 calls.”

“Our goal is to improve the quality of life for Gary residents. The cameras help with prosecution of offenders, while aiding in crime reduction,” Cannon said.

Ellis Dumas, Chief of Staff for Mayor Eddie Melton added, “The news we’re sharing today shows that Gary is making additional investments in modern technology that will allow us to keep our streets safer. We know that safety is truly about community well-being. Our residents deserve safe neighborhoods, where they can grow, raise families, and build their dreams without fear.”

Rep. Mrvan said funds for Gary came from the U.S. Congress annual appropriations for Community Project Funding. “Each year I compete with 435 other members of Congress trying to bring back resources to our districts. These were priorities for public safety in my district.”

Eight other local police departments in Mrvan’s district also received project funding.
$1,000,000 for Crown Point
$306,000 for Dyer
$150,000 for East Chicago
$400,000 for Griffith
$488,000 for Hobart
$400,000 for LaPorte
$670,000 for Schererville
$398,000 for Valparaiso

Story Posted:07/19/2024