The Newburgh City Council received an update from Nicholas Crispino, Information Systems Manager for the City of Newburgh that street camera system and camera software work is to be completed by June 15.

In the City of Newburgh, 34 street cameras were installed in 2016. In 2018, 15 of the 34 cameras were detected to not be in usage due to connectivity issues or physical damages.

According to Crispino, when the 15 street cameras went down in 2018, the City of Newburgh applied for a Dormitory Authority of the State of New York [DASNY] grant in 2019.

The DASNY grant funding would assist in the connectivity repair work of 11 of the 15 damaged cameras. Additional DASNY funding would address the physical/structural damage to the remaining four cameras located in the city. By June 15, all 34 cameras will be operational again and back on the network.

Crispino said the completed work will expand the camera system by 10 more cameras. However, additional DASNY funding was supposed to be available for the expansion but has not been approved yet.

“Having cameras in our city are super important. It’s for the safety of everyone,” said Councilman Anthony Grice. “I know that you’re working as quickly as you can.”

Mayor Torrance Harvey remembered that in 2016, 18-year-old Keyshan Gayle was gunned down in front of the Goldback Deli at the corner of Fullerton and Third Street. “There was a camera there [on the corner of Fullerton and Third] but it didn’t work,” Harvey said.

Most of the cameras are placed in certain locations where crime is most active in the City of Newburgh according to Crispino. This is due to a heat map that is generated by the police department to determine these high level crime areas.