More Eyes Out For Darien Police

DARIEN, IL — The Darien Police Department has a lot more eyes in its crime-fighting efforts — 189 to be precise.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Police Chief Greg Thomas told aldermen that a new village program is set to reimburse for that many cameras at houses around town. Under the program, the city inspects the cameras and registers them, so they can be used for solving crimes.

The city got a $10,000 grant from ComEd for the camera program and contributed a required match of the same amount, for a total of $10,000.

The proposed reimbursements proved to be popular. But Thomas said not everyone who called wanted them.

"They just wanted to appreciate the program and give information about their cameras," the chief said.

He gave two recent examples in which residents' cameras were helpful in police investigations. In another situation, a camera's footage documented Darien police officers' takedown of a theft suspect just outside city limits.

In August, the City Council decided to allocate its $10,000 portion of the money for cameras.