Haddonfield Safe representatives Chadd Levine (speaking) and Chris Timpano (right) announce the donation of three automatic license reading cameras purchased with funds raised by the community to aid the Haddonfield Police Department in their efforts to create a safer Haddonfield.
After two burglaries in April that saw homes broken into and cars stolen, a group of borough residents has created Haddonfield Safe, a civic organization formed to support the police.
Residents Chris Timpano and Chadd Levine were at the forefront of the effort. The former recalled how he and Levine met with Police Chief Jason Cutler and Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich to consider tangible solutions that would have the most immediate impact.
Cutler suggested automatic license-plate-reader cameras.
“We as citizens thought it was necessary to take action sooner,” noted Levine, “and hopefully the things we brought to this community will help us all feel a little bit safer, but also show that we can all work better together as citizens as well as with our administration.”
The Haddonfield Safe founders announced on Nov. 25 the purchase of three license-plate-reader cameras with $18,000 raised as part of a 60-day GoFundMe effort to benefit borough police. The department acquired one of the devices for placement atop a police car in 2018.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Chadd (Levine) and Chris (Timpano) for the work that they’ve done to be part of the solution,” noted Bianco Bezich.
“We’re giving amazing technology to our police, which is so exciting,” Levine said. “It really is. It really makes you feel like you’re giving back … One way to increase your police force today, you can do through technology.
“So if this helps them (police) to do more within the force … all the better.”
Haddonfield Safe bought the new cameras from Atlanta-based Flock Safety and negotiated free installation and data retention for three years. The cameras are stationary but can be repositioned or relocated if necessary after installation.
“Once one of the stolen vehicles or something alerts or hits the camera system, it will immediately notify us that there’s a car that’s wanted or stolen in this area, and we can put our forces in that area,” Cutler explained.
The chief noted that in many cases, one stolen vehicle is used to steal another. He estimates about 30 to 40% of area police departments have either mobile or stationary automatic license-plate readers. New Jersey has some of the strictest laws in the country regarding the devices, requiring their data be kept for three years rather than 30 days in other states.
The new borough cameras are expected to be installed over the next two weeks and will track vehicles via a license plate, whether they’re suspicious or not. The devices do not register facial recognition, only vehicle characteristics and license plates.
“This is one more investigative tool in the tool bag,” Cutler offered. “This is not just for stolen cars. The system is so robust that I could say, ‘The Lawnside police department is looking for a white Chevy SUV,’ and I can type in ‘white Chevy SUV’ between these dates and times, and it (a camera) will spit out a list of all the license plates, so that the artificial intelligence comes back and says, ‘These are all the white SUVs.'”
While the suspects in the April burglaries were arrested two months later, Cutler withheld that information because of the ongoing investigation, though the victims were notified. Police continue to investigate.
Following a leasing period, Cutler said he will revisit use of the cameras and determine whether they should be a continued investment. Meanwhile, Levine has joined the police advisory committee and continues to meet and collaborate on improving safety in town.
As for Haddonfield Safe, the group will continue to hold quarterly meetings and they hope to have Cutler more involved to increase his department’s presence in and relationships with the community and address concerns.
“Today’s a big celebration for us as a community,” Levine observed at the new camera announcement. ” … If we come together as a community, with the proper people and borough administrators, we can accomplish anything.”
To learn more about Haddonfield Safe, email to haddonfieldsafety@gmail.com.
