MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — New safety improvements could soon come to one of Middle Tennessee's largest cities.

The Murfreesboro City Council will decide on purchasing and maintaining 36 new license plate readers and 26 new video cameras.

This technology will be spread around city parks and greenways.

"This is something that's been in the works for over two years," Murfreesboro City Councilmember Jami Averwater said. "Our Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with (the) Murfreesboro Police Department to bring this vision to reality."

Averwater believes the next step to decrease crime is to install additional license plate readers and surveillance cameras. If approved, this plan will go into phases for purchasing and maintenance.

It's an agreement that will cost the city a little more than $517,832.70 over three years, which includes purchasing the technology and maintaining it.

"Our plan is to purchase an additional number of cameras and install them where we consider high risk areas for crime," Averwater said. In the next budget year, we hope to allow more money to purchase more cameras, so this is something that will happen in phases over the next two to three years."

This measure was on the agenda before last weekend's Old Fort Park shooting. A suspect has been arrested. Still, Averwater believes more cameras would have helped that situation.

"I will feel much more comfortable when I walk on the greenway with my family, that there are cameras being monitored in real time by our wonderful officers in the Murfreesboro Police Department," Averwater said.

To learn more about the measure being voted on tonight at 6 p.m., please click here.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/murfreesboro/murfreesboro-city-council-voting-to-approve-more-license-plate-readers-cameras-across-city/