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The park is one of seven city parks to receive a camera as part of a pilot program designed to keep citizens safe, according to Martin.
“This is about protecting the community no matter where you are, no matter who you are,” Martin said.
Lione Park's camera was installed steps away from the parking lot where a 43-year-old West Side woman was fatally shot in November. A camera will also be installed at Cove Island, where a 30-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in October.
In the Lione Park shooting, the woman was believed to have been targeted. And, in the Cove Island case, the woman may have been stalked by her attacker as she ran the same route each morning, the Stamford Advocate reported.
Martin said the cameras can make a big difference in preventing crime and identifying perpetrators in city parks going forward.
“Hopefully this will help deter crime and should someone have the audacity to commit a serious crime in front of our cameras, we will have the video footage to help pursue the people and make certain they’re brought to justice,” he said.
But Martin emphasized that the cameras will not replace police. He praised officers for their quick thinking in apprehending the suspects in last year's Lione Park fatal shooting, the Daily Voice previously reported.
The cameras also include a call button. Parkgoers who need to report an emergency can press the button, which connects them with the city’s emergency dispatch center.
When a caller activates the connection, a blue light flashes on top of the camera’s pole as a "beacon" for first responders. The call feature also activates a camera so a dispatcher can see the caller.
Lione Park is the first park to have a fully installed camera and emergency response system. Other parks that will soon have cameras and blue light emergency phone towers include Scalzi, Veterans, Mill River, Cummings, Carwin and Cove Island, according to the city.
The emergency poles are common on college campuses. They’re usually blue because that color is the most visible color throughout every season, Martin said.
Martin said he hopes to have all of the cameras installed by June 1.
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