The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
City adds emergency blue light towers
Four additional lights total to six in Lorain
The Lorain Police Department, with installation help from city crews, have just finished the completion of four additional emergency blue light towers.
The towers are located at Century Park, Central Park, West Fifth Street and the 800 block of Broadway.
“This puts our total at six emergency blue lights in Lorain,” said Lorain police Sgt. Rick Soto, traffic commissioner of the Lorain Police Traffic Division. “This is in addition to the towers at Oakwood and by the Lorain city treasurer building.”
The Police Department also is looking at additional locations where the towers would be useful, Soto said.
“Putting one near (city) hall is a possibility, and there are few other spots as well,” he said. “We got the idea for them when we saw their effectiveness at places like Lorain County Community College and Oberlin College.”
The two options for the towers are electrical or solar, and the police department had to choose based on the location of each tower, Soto said.
“The decision was made based on cost effectiveness,” he said. “Based on where the towers were located, hard wiring was not always an option. We had to use solar on a couple of towers, because hard wiring would’ve forced us to break into the concrete at certain locations.”
Soto said the difference between the two options is roughly $2,000 with the solar option being more expensive.
“We selected the locations based on where people are going to congregate,” he said. “For instance, we have one between the (Lorain) Palace (Theater) and the (Lorain Public) Library (System). We think of the places people will be and that determines effectiveness.”
Soto said pressing the button, at one of these towers, will provide an immediate connection to police dispatch.
“You won’t need to explain where you are, because your location will already be known,” he said. “Just explain your situation and the police will provide the proper assistance.”
Soto said the towers are vital for those who don’t have cell phones or people who have lost one.
“The towers provide a convenience for our citizens and make things easier for them,” he said.