Security improvements planned at public housing
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
Several public housing complexes throughout Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will see security camera upgrades and other safety and security improvements this year.
Housing authorities in the two counties have been awarded a portion of a $13.7 million allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Capital Fund Emergency Safety and Security Program.
Across the United States, the money will be used to pay for installation, repair or replacement of equipment or systems that contribute to a safer living environment for residents, including security systems and surveillance cameras, fencing, lighting, emergency alarm systems, window bars, deadbolt locks, doors and carbon monoxide detectors.
The Allegheny County Housing Authority has been awarded $129,022 to make security upgrades at various housing authority developments to improve the health and safety of residents, according to HUD.
ACHA police Chief Mike Vogel said security cameras and license plate readers will be installed at Millvue Acres in Clairton and Hays Manor in McKees Rocks. He hopes they will serve as a deterrent for violent crime, will put residents’ minds at ease and make investigating gun violence and other crimes safer and more efficient for all involved.
In Westmoreland County, upgrades include installation of high-definition security cameras at seven county housing authority sites in Irwin, Latrobe, Scottdale, Monessen and Trafford and modernized door locks at a facility in New Kensington.
The Westmoreland County projects will be paid for with a $250,000 federal grant the authority received last week, according to Michael Washowich, the authority’s executive director.
“It will go to good use to protect our residents,” Washowich said.
Washowich said facilities for low-income seniors and disabled residents, including Valley Manor, Eastgate Manor, Scottdale Manor, Irwin Manor, Trafford Manor, Latrobe Manor and Westgate Manor in Monessen, will get upgraded digital camera systems to replace analog equipment.
Cameras will record all building entrances, common areas and corridors, and police departments in those communities will have access to the video feeds.
“The cameras serve as a deterrent to criminal activity and give residents peace of mind,” Washowich said.
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