BEL AIR, Md. — You can’t hide.
If you are anywhere in a two-mile span of the Ma & Pa Trail from the Tollgate Road Station to Williams Street, a camera will now be recording your every move, and following the Rachel Morin murder there almost a year ago, those who use the trail welcome the added security.
“To see that people did not feel comfortable using it, even during the daytime, even with other people walking the trail with them, was very discouraging,” said Deanna Harkins of Bel Air, “So now with the cameras up, we’ve noticed a lot more people frequenting the trail."
The system cost a million dollars and required contractors to supply power and fiber-optics to a wooded area where neither existed before.
“This system that we have now is the most advanced in the state,” said Harford County Executive Robert Cassilly, “It’s a fantastic system that includes a total of 104 cameras mounted on 26 poles. Each pole with four cameras in enclosure.”
The video cameras utilize artificial intelligence to quickly identify any unusual activity.
The data collected will then be made accessible to both police and emergency first responders.
If a person moves too quickly, is approached by someone else or falls or disappears from the trail, it triggers an alert, and the system allows the operators to pull up their every action.
It’s an investment in public safety to re-assure users of the county’s most popular trail.
“We’re an elderly community right back here, plus we see all the children and young couples here and young, single women running all the time,” said Cathy Matthew who lives near the trail, “So I think it’s great to have this done.”
