A recent purchase by the state could increase the Ohio Investigative Unit’s already towering presence in Athens during fest season.
The unit, a branch of the Ohio Department of Public Safety responsible for the undercover agents who frequent Athens, purchased two 25-foot surveillance towers with the intention of using them to observe crime — including underage drinking — from above.
“These will be primarily used for the larger scale concerts, some home football games at some of the larger colleges in Ohio and just any other large scale event we deem necessary,” said Eric Wolf, administrative agent for the unit.
“Any time we aren’t using them, they will be available to other law-enforcement agencies here in Ohio.”
The primary use of the towers will be for observing illegal activity within a crowd, such as illicit drug trade, underage consumption of alcohol and fighting, Wolf said.
Wolf and other officials would not directly comment on whether state or local law enforcement plans to use the towers during Ohio University sporting events or during unsanctioned fests around town; but, both seemingly fit the qualifications the state has set for deploying the towers.
The towers will cost the state $271,281 from its Law Enforcement Operations fund, said Randy Cole, president of the Ohio Controlling Board.
“The request was approved 7-0,” Cole said. “None of the legislators asked any questions about it.”
The Oregon-based Flir Systems manufactured the towers, which include four roof-mounted floodlights and five surveillance cameras.
The towers cannot be outfitted with weaponry, Wolf said, as they are strictly observational in nature, adding that whether or not these towers are used during Athens street fests or Number Fests is up to OIU and some local law enforcement officials in Athens.
“It’s going to be up to the supervision in the district and the operational plan they see, and the number of agents and other equipment they need to operate safely during those events,” Wolf said. “Any event we observe, we can then direct other teams or officers into the problem area.”
The Athens Enforcement Office declined to comment.
Having seen the towers in use by other agencies, such as the Columbus Police Department, Wolf saw the potential use for such equipment the state.
“We saw these towers in use at other events,” Wolf said, “and thought they would be an asset to our department.”
The unit made about 80 percent of arrests during the 2012 fest season, according to a previous Post article, and more than 80 percent of those arrests were for underage drinking.
— Lucas Daprile contributed to this article.
as299810@ohiou.edu
