Security cameras have been a talking point for the Guthrie Center City Council over their summer meetings.

City Clerk Kris Arrasmith says that the topic came up at the request of Guthrie County Sheriff Matt Harmann, as the sheriff’s department wanted to see if the city would be willing to set up cameras at the four main entrance/exit points of town, and allow them to access that through their current system they use. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the Council has agreed to start the process of getting some cameras set up that would be able to work on the Verkada system the sheriff’s office uses.

“We’re going to start out with two at this point and I’m going to check into some grant monies and things like that. And then ultimately in six months or so if this goes smoothly, which I’m sure it will, we’ll probably do at least another two. The system would be mounted on a building or a light pole. It needs to have Wi-Fi access so we might have to work with some individual business owners in the area to have them help us out with letting us tap into their Wi-Fi. It’s a camera that will telescope and zoom in to potentially identify a license plate or individuals and they run right around $1,500 each. It’s not a terrible amount, and we feel like it’s completely worth it.”

Arrasmith mentions that these cameras will be something that will not only benefit the sheriff’s office in the case that something happens outside of Guthrie Center and they are able to catch video of a vehicle coming into town, but that if something happens within town, the cameras may be able to catch something as well. She adds that a few sites they are looking at possibly putting up cameras is the old fire station on the intersection of First Street and Highway 44, a business on the east side of town along Highway 44, and that there are a few places that have been discussed on Highway 25 at the north and south ends of town.