Chatham-Kent council to debate CCTV camera expansion in parks

Chatham-Kent has decided to increase the use of CCTV cameras and have added police body cameras. CTV Windsor’s Chris Campbell reports.

Chatham-Kent council will debate expanding the municipality’s use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras later this month, amid growing concerns over vandalism in public parks.

Ward 1 Coun. Melissa Harrigan has tabled a motion ahead of the April 28 meeting, calling for a staff report on the current use and potential expansion of CCTV coverage across the region.

Although the motion does not specifically mention Memorial Park in Tilbury, Harrigan said it follows a series of troubling incidents in that community.

“Here in the community of Tilbury, we’ve had a large number of vandalism issues over the last couple of weeks,” Harrigan said. “Springtime comes around, the weather gets nice, we have vandals coming out there spray painting the assets around the park. Recently, they burned our new pickleball sign, did some damage to the pickleball courts. And the washrooms in Memorial Park have been destroyed more than once.”

Harrigan said the damage is not only costly but disheartening.

“It’s just really frustrating when residents see that when they’re walking through,” she said. “This is one of our best prized spaces in the area. We want to keep it clean. We want to keep it nice, and it’s not putting the best foot forward that we know it could be.”

The motion notes that repeated acts of vandalism have cost the municipality time and resources, while also limiting the public’s ability to enjoy local parks. It also cites growing community support for expanding the use of surveillance cameras.

If approved, the report would provide an overview of current CCTV usage in Chatham-Kent, legal considerations, potential costs for expansion, and any available provincial grants or funding opportunities.

“I personally think that they’re incredibly cost-effective and definitely demonstrate a return on investment,” Harrigan said. “It does come with a cost to install them. It also comes with an annual cost to use them. And then a conversation really about how far do we want to extend the CCTV network and how much of a cost are we willing to invest.”

The municipality has had cameras in some areas for the past two years. However, councillors say petty crime and vandalism persist in many public spaces outside the current surveillance zones.

Deputy Chief Jason Cickowsk of the Chatham-Kent Police Service said expanding coverage would be a welcome move.

“These parks, a lot of people walk through them, and they’re prone—especially at night—for youngsters and teenagers and even adults to go there and cause some riffraff,” he said. “It’s a detriment to keeping our community safe, but there’s also a cost attached to that, having to make those repairs.”

Cickowsk added that technology is increasingly vital to modern policing.

“Technology has a big place in policing these days. There are so many changes that have occurred that it’s making it imperative we adjust to how crimes are occurring and how we can use technology to our benefit,” he said. “Definitely CCTV and the use of body-worn cameras is another set of tools that are going to help us make the community safer.”

The municipality has received “tremendous feedback” from property owners where footage helped police solve crimes or recover stolen property, he said.

“The effectiveness and the successes that we have seen have come across the entire municipality—from your Wallaceburgs to your Chathams to your Kent Bridges to your Wheatleys,” Cickowsk said. “It’s been throughout the municipality. So it’s a very good use of technology to help prevent crime.”

He also pointed to the practical benefits in terms of resource allocation.

“There is a cost to installing these cameras, but there’s also a cost to having police officers stationary in a location 24 hours a day, which we all know is not practical or possible,” he said. “So the cost of installing these cameras definitely saves and provides an alternative to increasing personnel costs.”

CKPS body-worn cameras

The motion comes as CKPS begins the gradual rollout of body-worn cameras for frontline officers. A select number of officers were equipped with the devices this week, with full deployment expected by the end of 2025.

“This strategic initiative reinforces the organization’s commitment to accountability, transparency, and community trust,” the service said in a release. “The cameras will be used during interactions with the public, including traffic stops, calls for service, and enforcement activities.”

Police said usage of the devices will be governed by strict protocols in accordance with privacy laws and legal standards.

Harrigan said she welcomes broader conversations about how technology can enhance community safety and services.

“Technology is changing all aspects of how we work in community settings. We see it in police services. We see it in other public service spaces,” she said. “I would like to have conversations about how we can really benefit as a community from that.”

Council is expected to debate the motion on April 28.