Smile, You’re On Camera In Grand Haven

You have your can of spray paint in hand and you're intent is to make your mark in Grand Haven. Before you shake that rattle can and press the trigger, smile for the camera! Cameras are being installed at the Grand Haven pier to stop vandalism.

Toward the end of last summer, vandalism became a problem at the south pier. That upset a group of community members who decided to do something about it. City manager Pat McGinnis told Fox 17,

"We spent a lot of time, effort, and local philanthropic money to make those look really great. We take that kind of investment very seriously and to have somebody go and deface that… it hits close to home."

McGinnis hopes the cameras will deter would-be vandals. He was advised that good surveillance out there we could probably put an end to it. The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation set up a fund and raised roughly $21,000 to buy five cameras. The wiring for the cameras was laid out recently and the cameras are to be installed soon.

While there will NOT be active monitoring, the camera will alert police with direct links to what’s going on. They will be open to open an app on their phone to determine if activity by the pier is innocent or nefarious. Eventually, the cameras will be used to help with water rescues and more cameras will be added to other nearby landmarks. McGinnis stated,

"I doubt we will have much more in the terms of graffiti once those cameras are activated. Word will get out because the first person that tags them, we’ll arrest them that night and graffiti will be gone the next day.”