After 8 shootings, Fort Pierce police are rolling out a new solution

The city of Fort Pierce will add 12 cameras to “monitor and address areas of concerns in a more efficient manner” after eight shootings in the city’s northwest neighborhood in less than a month.

According to city staff, only one camera will get placed in the northwest neighborhood.

WPTV’s Ethan Stein found the area already has cameras and a city commissioner, who voted on the proposal, has connections to a Little League organization doing business at the camera’s location.

City documents show the only camera in the northwest neighborhood, would be placed at the Lincoln Park Community Center at 1306 Avenue M.

WPTV’s Ethan Stein found the building already has multiple cameras around the building, and past reporting shows the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office placed cameras near Ilous Ellis Park, which is next to the community center, along with five other locations.

A spokesperson for the St. Lucie County said the six cameras on the building record video, but not audio.

According to state business records, Commissioner Arnold Gaines is the registered agent for The Northside Bat and Ball Little League, Inc. and is listed on the organization’s website as coaching coordinator. His sister, Alwyn Gaines, is listed as the organization’s vice president on its website.

The little league lists its place of business as 1306 Avenue M, the same location as the only camera being placed in the city’s northwest neighborhood. The camera and mount costs about $4,500, based on city documents.

Gaines (District 1) said his connections with the little league had no difference on the location receiving a camera from police. He said the address is only used to help people find the ball fields on GPS.

“It’s a local address for everybody in the community, who is trying to find our park can put it into the GPS,” Gaines said. “And once the put it into their GPS, they see all the baseball fields.”

He said the city needs more cameras, but the city needs more money to make those purchases.

The other 11 cameras will get placed at Means Court, Linear Park, SLC Transit, Manatee Center, Marina Square, Jaycee Park and Jetty Park. According to city documents, the total cost is about $51,000.

Jason Braun, who is a captain for the Fort Pierce Police Department, said the goal is to deter criminal activities, enhance public safety and provide law enforcement with the tools it needs to monitor community spaces more effectively.

Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burnley said the cameras were needed because the police department is struggling to deal with the city’s growth in a memo to the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency - made up of the city’s city commissioners.

“The boundaries and the number of residents of our City continue to expand,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, the staffing of the Fort Pierce Police Department does not mirror that growth.”

WPTV asked the police department for an interview regarding the locations chosen for its cameras, but spokesperson for the agency Larry Croom said information revealing surveillance, procedures or personnel is exempt from public inspection pursuant to Florida State Statue 119.071.