ELLENDALE, Del. - Tuesday night, Ellendale town council members finalized the locations for security cameras to be installed throughout town, a move police say could significantly improve their ability to solve crimes.
Security camera currently outside townhall in Ellendale.
The cameras will be mounted on utility poles and placed along major corridors, including Old State Road and Main Street, as well as north and south entry points into town. Town council members said the final plan includes more cameras than originally proposed, expanding beyond an earlier eight-camera layout discussed last year.
Police Chief Bruce E. Von Goerres called the system a game changer for investigations.
“If a burglary were to occur or somebody were to do something and then they drove through town, it may pick up a vehicle and assist in developing investigative leads and suspects to follow up on,” Von Goerres said.
The cameras are intended to monitor traffic flow and capture vehicles and individuals entering and leaving Ellendale. Von Goerres said the areas selected are heavily traveled and already generate frequent law enforcement activity.
Von Goerres said the areas selected are heavily traveled and already generate frequent law enforcement activity.
“Cameras strategically located throughout the town, especially north and south, Old State Road and Main Street, there’s a lot of traffic,” he said. “I do a lot of patrol in that area and just run tags. I get a lot of wanted people coming and going and things of that nature. So the cameras are going to enhance being able to see things, see people come and go, and crimes that do occur.”
Residents who spoke in support of the plan said similar systems have proven effective elsewhere.
Phil English, an Ellendale resident and former firefighter in New Jersey, said surveillance cameras helped police solve crimes in communities where he previously lived.
“Right at 16 you get transient people coming through, so at the beginning of the town to leaving the town, of course, and then some of the side streets,” English said. “There were a couple incidents where buildings were broken into in the evening, and they were able to get excellent video from those cameras and solved the crime.”
The decision follows months of uncertainty surrounding the project. Ellendale previously received a $100,000 grant to fund a town-wide surveillance system, but the plan stalled after Delmarva Power told Town council members the cameras could not be mounted on its utility poles.
Supporters have argued that visible cameras could deter crime and help residents feel safer. Town council members have also pointed to a past deadly shooting in town, saying additional surveillance may have helped investigators locate a suspect more quickly.
Installation timelines were not immediately announced.