The Morro Bay Police Department has a new mobile surveillance camera.
“Any type of technology like this that allows the public to see monitoring taking place can really deter crime,” said Morro Bay Police Chief Amy Watkins.
WATCH: A look at MBPD's new surveillance camera in action
The $56,000 mobile surveillance trailer, funded through a grant and the general fund, was first deployed at Morro Rock in April during the Kite Festival.
“We wanted to monitor congestion and traffic flow, certainly, out at the rock parking lot. We have had some complaints in previous years about congestion, so it really helps us in that situation,” Chief Watkins said.
It’s also been deployed along the Embarcadero due to reports of thefts and at Del Mar Park for vandalism.
“We did have one situation out at Del Mar Park that we were able to identify somebody that was a potential suspect in our vandalism,” Watkins said.
“There is vandalism sometimes,” said Chuck Asmus, Morro Bay resident.
Asmus uses the Del Mar Park restrooms when he plays pickleball.
“I feel like if vandals are going to be out defacing or damaging stuff that they deserve to be caught. Otherwise, we are facilitating them with a canvas with no control over it, so I can see where that’s needed,” Asmus said.
Right now, the solar-powered trailer is at the Coast Guard station.
“The U.S. Coast Guard reached out to us and mentioned that the federal threat level had increased to Bravo, which means they want to pay more attention to the soft target areas and make sure that there is no suspicious activity,” Watkins said.
There are two cameras that are solely used for monitoring while also keeping recordings.
“One is a point tilt zoom camera, so it gives us the ability to move and zoom in and out of the camera. The other camera has four cameras within it. They help you with 360 coverage,” Watkins said.
Chief Watkins says this mobile unit has been a helpful tool to support frontline officers.
“This has really been an opportunity for us to utilize technology as a force multiplier,” Watkins said.
