Cameras at Natrona Community Park expected to deter crime, police say

Harrison police are hoping an extra set of eyes on Natrona Community Park will help deter vandalism and other crime at the River Avenue recreation spot.

Police Chief Brian Turack said security cameras will be installed at the playground and basketball courts, where police were called Saturday to investigate a fight that spiraled into a stabbing.

Police charged a New Kensington man, Terrell Ellis, with aggravated assault after three people were injured in the incident.

“Our officers spend a lot of time in Natrona, but it’s hard, when they’re driving through, to see if someone is engaged in criminal activity,” Turack said.

“The cameras will have a live feed into our station. In the event something happens, we will have footage we can review.”

The security upgrade is not a direct result of Saturday’s incident. Turack said the technology was a long time coming.

He applied earlier this year for a state grant through the Department of Community and Economic Development. The township was awarded about $58,000, part of which will pay for the cameras.

Some of the grant will pay for traffic calming devices to be used throughout the township. School zone boards that display drivers’ speed will be placed along Argonne Drive and Idaho Avenue.

A speed radar trailer will be displayed in different neighborhoods where police receive complaints. Turack said the technology is used to give drivers positive reinforcement or urge them to slow down, and will be placed on heavily traveled thruways such as Sylvan Avenue.

Bill Godfrey, president of the community group Natrona Comes Together, applauded the move to install cameras at the park. His group has worked for years to draw children to the playground for a slate of summer activities that includes visits from the Pittsburgh Zoo, the Warhol Museum and other well-known cultural groups.

“I’ve been president for 19 years, and I’ve gone to almost all of the Harrison commissioners’ meetings. From the beginning, I’ve constantly been saying that we need cameras,” Godfrey said. “That’s not just me talking — I represent the community.

“I’m thrilled, elated, happy that these are going in.”

Godfrey said Natrona sometimes gets a bad rap, but he feels the community has gotten safer over the past two decades.

“There’s a lot of pride in people there,” he said. “The cameras are just a common sense way to help.”

Turack said cameras were a priority for him, in part, because Godfrey has been pushing for them for so long.

The grant was supported by state Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel. Her district includes municipalities from Aspinwall to Harrison.

“I had an extensive conversation with Chief Turack, and, while a larger grant is currently in process, the cameras were a more immediate need that I could assist with,” Steele said. “These new cameras will tie into the police department’s current system and will be beneficial for catching incidents in real time and also hopefully deterring future crimes.”

Steele recognized the current movement to revitalize Natrona, thanks to groups such as Natrona Comes Together and The Building Block of Natrona, which regularly host events at the park. The cameras will add a level of security for people who participate in the recurring community events, Steele said.