City of Redmond to add 100 new security cameras, upgrade 50 others to keep an eye out for crime

Changes to begin in mid-April; 'some significant steps in right direction'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The city of Redmond is cracking down on graffiti, vandalism and other crimes with extra eyes on patrol. Close to 150 cameras, 2/3 of them new, will help police keep watch.

"Definitely some significant steps in the right direction," City of Redmond IT Engineer Christian Armatas said Wednesday. "It’s going to give us way greater visibility into our parks and waterfalls and areas that seem to have lots of this graffiti and destruction.”

A local resident playing pickleball at Sam Johnson Park says he's seen some graffiti on the courts and the blue tarps attached to the fences.

Armatas said the current cameras are about 10 to 15 years old.

“Currently, our camera system is actually a mix of multiple different camera systems,” he said.

“Most of the time when we go out there, we find the cameras have been offline for a little while, or we didn’t get the proper angle," Armatas said.

With the changes to come, city planners won't have to physically go out to a park, for instance, to get the recorded footage from a network cabinet.

Now, they'll have a central database, which can help curb some crime.

"There has been lots of vandalism, lots of recent graffiti, motorcycles in the Dry Canyon," Armatas said. "Ultimately, it’s not going to only act as a deterrent, but help us track down who might be causing some of these issues.”

You can expect upgraded cameras around the Redmond Airport and water wells, along with City Hall departments.

The Redmond City Council approved $305,000 for the installation of 100 new cameras, and the upgrade of 50 existing cameras across 26 locations.

The city plans to start installation in mid-April, with hopes to wrap it up by June.

Armatas says the change will help them follow up with police investigations.