By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
You may not see any police officers where you’re at in Sea Isle City, but they could be watching you.
Sea Isle police are moving ahead with the third phase of a multiyear program to install surveillance cameras in crucial parts of the resort town.
The high-resolution cameras will livestream color images directly to police headquarters around the clock year-round.
“It’s obvious that we can’t be everywhere at all times. So having the surveillance cameras around allows us to keep an eye on the area and have a recorded data log of what goes on in that area when the police aren’t around. It allows us to be able to see things that happen when we’re not actually there on scene,” Capt. Steve Conte explained in an interview Monday.
Conte said five cameras will be installed in the latest locations. They are part of a nearly $70,000 contract the city has awarded to New Jersey Business Systems Inc. of Robbinsville.
One of the new cameras will overlook the public boat ramp at the bay end of 42nd Place at the city’s municipal marina.
Another will be installed on the large building on 42nd Place that doubles as the office and maintenance center for the marina.
The city will place another camera in front of the Sea Isle Welcome Center on John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Conte said.
Another camera is planned at 42nd Place and Park Road near the arched “Welcome to Historic Fish Alley” sign that greets visitors to the neighborhood of popular restaurants.
A fifth camera will keep an eye on the intersection of JFK Boulevard and Central Avenue along the main entryway into town. This camera will be close to the children’s playground on JFK Boulevard.
Conte said that the new locations for the cameras aren’t trouble spots, but they are areas known for having a lot of activity, particularly during the peak summer tourism season.
“It’s just a busy spot and allows us to kind of keep an eye on that area without always having to patrol in that area,” he said.
Sea Isle has a year-round population of about 2,100 residents, but the summer season traditionally brings about 50,000 to 60,000 visitors and vacationers.
The surveillance cameras are part of the city’s broader strategy to monitor areas that attract large crowds, including the Promenade and the downtown business district packed with bars, restaurants and retail shops.
Police Chief Anthony Garreffi said police are keeping up with the latest technology and using the cameras as “a law enforcement tool.”
The cameras will help police in their investigations by capturing a high-resolution image and description of criminal suspects, Garreffi explained in an interview earlier this year.
Conte said the cameras that were installed earlier on the Promenade have become “quite handy a lot of times” by assisting police in other ways, such as helping to locate lost children.
“It’s definitely helped us a lot, especially when it comes to potentially locating lost children and things like that,” he said.
Earlier this year, four cameras were placed on Landis Avenue at the intersections of JFK Boulevard, 40th Street, 39th Street and 38th Street in the heart of downtown.
The latest batch of cameras will allow police to see “how we can better position our manpower, from almost like a bird’s-eye perspective,” Conte said.
Altogether, Sea Isle plans to spend about $400,000 for its multiyear program to install surveillance cameras throughout town, Garreffi said.
In 2022, City Council approved a $195,693 contract to install 13 cameras on the busiest parts of the oceanfront Promenade.
The first phase of the Promenade project included placing cameras between 36th Street and 44th Street last year, Garreffi and Lt. James McQuillen said in an interview earlier this year.
Four or five new cameras are planned for the Promenade this year and six or seven more will be coming in 2025, they said.
Surveillance cameras are part of Sea Isle’s wider strategy to deter crimes largely committed by large groups of teenagers during the summer season. Other shore towns have had similar problems with rowdy teens in the past three summers, including underage drinking, vandalism and theft.
Heading into the summer season of 2023, Sea Isle enacted a 10 p.m. curfew for minors under the age of 18 and a backpack ban between the hours of 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. for juveniles and adults to curb unruly behavior. Those rules remain in effect for 2024.
Conte said this year, Sea Isle has been enjoying a “rather peaceful” summer among the groups of teens vacationing or visiting in town.
“So far with the summer, the town has been busy. The police have been steady, but it’s actually been really rather peaceful here. It’s been a very, very good summer. I think it’s mostly been positive interactions with the public,” he said.
