Sumpter Board votes to put security cameras in township hall, fire dept.

Sumpter Township is putting security cameras in the township hall and the fire hall after a unanimous decision by the township board at its May 12 meeting.
The Ostech Group will install security cameras in the township hall at a cost not to exceed $4,000 and the fire hall for $7,994.10.
Trustee Bill Hamm made another motion, that passed, to put the security monitor in the supervisor’s office at the township hall and have Police Captain Eric Luke as the administrator.
The fire chief will have the fire hall monitor in his office and will be the administrator of the cameras.
Trustee Hamm showed concern over whether the devices could be used to monitor people discussing private matters in the township hall.
Township attorney Rob Young said the surveillance will only be used to review an incident and as much audio as can be picked up.
Captain Luke said he is the administrator for the in-car cameras and body cameras.
Young said the only time they would be reviewed is if there has been an incident.
Captain Luke said these systems are running and you never know they are there, but they should be checked out at least once a week.
He said you can’t see anything or hear anything and you have to be logged in to see anything.
Trustee Matt Oddy spoke of his experience with surveillance cameras and said they can be set up any way you want.
When asked why they were putting in the cameras now, Supervisor John Morgan said there have been accusations of employees not being polite and they will be able to play it back if there are further accusations.
Karen Armatis said there was an incident in Hamtramck where someone jumped over the counter in the clerk’s office and started wrecking the place.
In other business at the May 12 meeting the board:
• Accepted the 2014-15 Wayne County Parks Grant for $10,000 and thanked Treasurer Alan Bates for “working like a Trojan” to get the grant. Bates also puts in hours working to keep the parks in order;
• Approved amending the Parks and Recreation constitution by-laws to follow a State of Michigan requirement for spelling out that if Parks and Rec dissolves the money left will go to a non-profit group or the township. This is so Parks and Rec can get a bingo license;
• Approved having engineers come up with specifications to replace the crumbling cement ramp and steps at the Police Department entrance, so they can go out for bids on the project;
• Heard Fire Chief Joe Januszyk say the spaghetti dinner for Ed Wisniewski was a big success, raising $2,500 for him; and
• Heard resident Mary Ban report that when she went to vote May 5 at the Moose Lodge a sign said to watch your step and she almost lost her balance and grabbed the wall. She said she would like somebody to take a look at the sill of the doorway, which is down. She said election workers kept hollering to watch your step and she heard a woman on a walker had stumbled there. She said she wouldn’t want somebody to be hurt there. Also, she said the access is not wide enough to allow a wheelchair under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Clerk Clarence Hoffman said they would look into that.