Seaside Heights to Deploy $1M Town-Wide Security Camera Network

Image from Wikimedia

Seaside Heights officials are moving forward with a plan to install a town-wide network of security cameras across the length of the borough.

The security camera project was first envisioned in 2022, when Seaside Heights was awarded a supplemental state grant as part of its municipal aid package that was dedicated to increasing security in the borough via a camera network. The state set aside a $1 million capital outlay that will allow the borough to install cameras in various locations, including the boardwalk and side streets, on utility poles, light poles and other infrastructure along the oceanfront and at intersections across town.

The camera network is finally ready to be installed, with the final price of the initiative coming to $1,051,194. The borough will utilize the $1 million state grant to fund the overwhelming majority of the system, while about $51,000 will be funded locally. The network of cameras will cover the entire borough – not just the boardwalk – and will be installed in locations between the boardwalk and the bay, and the entire north-to-south corridor from Hiering Avenue and Porter Avenue.

---

Get Daily Island News Updates Your email address:* Please enter all required fields Correct invalid entries

The system will be provided by Carahsoft Technology Corp., of Virginia. The network will consist of “PTZ” (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras that can be controlled by the police department, as well as outdoor bullet cameras, outdoor dome cameras, and cameras placed on arm mounts and pole mounts. The package includes hardware and software to manage the network. Mayor Anthony Vaz said the system was chosen after years of research by members of the borough’s police department.

“We spent a lot of time, particularly the captain and lieutenant, looking over all different kinds of technology and going to different conferences,” said Vaz. “We’re going with the most modern system they offer. It’s supposed to be fantastic.”

The cameras will be streamed via a live feed to the police department and can be accessed by officers. The PTZ cameras, in particular, can be manipulated to obtain a live view of an incident in progress. The image quality of cameras are a major upgrade from previous systems that often produced grainy images that made it difficult to identify suspects in crimes, or even if a crime was committed in the first place. The new cameras will feature zoom-in technology and infrared capability so they can be useful at night.

“The cameras before could show us the outline of people, maybe their faces, and that was it,” said Vaz.

The cameras are not intended to be hidden, and will be placed in public areas where the police department has determined they would be best used. Over the last several summers, the borough has experimented with temporary cameras placed on mobile stands on the boardwalk and elsewhere.