TOLEDO, Ohio — Lucas Metropolitan Housing will see the installation of new security cameras and data servers from a $250,000 federal grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
According to the Lucas Metropolitan Housing, 30 to 37 documented gangs were involved in illegal activity last year on their properties.
LMH officials said their current video systems are outdated and need to be upgraded.
In their grant application, citing 2021 data, LMH said robberies were up 18% and criminal sexual conduct reports increased by 9%.
Also in 2021, gun violence and homicides in the city of Toledo were at a 20-year high. The upgraded cameras and servers are expected to drastically shorten response times, deter crime and help catch criminals on their properties.
"Our mobile patrol officers have tablets in their vehicles, so they can pull up the cameras in almost real-time with TPD, LMH spokesperson Matthew Sutter said. "So, we're also able to clip that footage and provide it for criminal investigations as needed."
These upgrades will first be implemented at their McClinton Nunn, Collingwood Green and Port Lawrence apartment complexes in central Toledo and the Vistula Manor in downtown Toledo.
LMH also has 12 more properties in the city that will receive upgrades in the future.
"We have a central resident advisory board that provides feedback to us," Sutter said. "Safety and security is something that's always top of mind for them. And as we're able to use our own funds and grant funds like this to augment safety and security, we take advantage of that."
Sutter also said the new system will make it easier to clip segments of the surveillance video share with law enforcement in criminal investigations.