John Revella, Walden’s village manager, announced recently that the Walden Police Department received $360,000 from a police enforcement technology grant, providing funding to the village’s camera surveillance project. He also noted that the cameras for Walden’s parks are currently up and running, recording live footage for the police department to use in case of a crime or emergency.

“I had meetings with the contractor for the cameras, that’s been going well. The parks are now camera’d up, so there’s a live feed to the police department,” Revella said during his manager’s report.

Around October of 2023, both the Walden board and police department considered installing brand-new cameras in the village’s parks, municipal buildings, and streets. The police would not monitor these cameras 24/7 or horde endless amounts of footage but rather use the footage as evidence if a crime was caught on tape and potentially deter misdeeds like theft or vandalism. During the village’s December 5 meeting, the board accepted a bid from Seamless Tech for roughly $148,000, providing an affordable surveillance package with 8-megapixel footage and future tech expansions.

“So far, the board has accepted the initial quote for the installation of cameras totaling $148,000.00. There is an outstanding quote for the municipal building cameras,” Revella said on June 4. “We are now going to request quotes for the installation of LPRs (license plate recognition devices) throughout the village and will be requesting new quotes for the purchase and installation of more cameras In the village in locations yet to be determined.”

As of the board’s May 21 meeting, cameras for James Olley Park, Wooster Park, and Bradley Park have been installed. The board is currently waiting to implement street cameras as the NYS Gas and Electric Department replaces the village’s double utility poles and will sign a quote sometime in the future for cameras in the municipal buildings.