EDISON — Township Council President Charles Tomaro said last week he is urging every Middlesex County town to require 24- hour businesses to install video surveillance systems.
The Edison Township Council will vote May 12 on an ordinance requiring 24-hour gas stations and convenience stores in town to be equipped with surveillance systems for the protection and safety of their employees.
“This is not only an Edison issue. This safety precaution should be required in every Middlesex County community. It’s just as necessary in East Brunswick, North Brunswick and South Amboy as it is in Edison, Metuchen or Woodbridge,” Tomaro said. “Unfortunately, no community is immune from these types of crimes.”
Tomaro said criminals would be less likely to target gas stations and other allnight businesses if they know there will be photographs and video evidence in police officers’ hands immediately after the crime.
“My hope is for every town in Middlesex County to follow Edison’s lead,” he said, adding that he will make Edison’s ordinance available to mayors and governing bodies throughout Middlesex County.
“Many 24-hour businesses already have surveillance cameras and other security measures. For those that don’t, this will add a layer of protection for their employees,” Tomaro said.
Edison’s ordinance would require new and existing gas stations and convenience stores that operate around the clock to install and maintain surveillance camera systems with videotape backups. The measure authorizes police to issue fines from $250 to $1,000 to businesses that do not comply or fail to maintain an operable surveillance system. Violations could also result in revocation of the town-issued business license.
Eleven Edison gas stations have been robbed since last May, and robbers have struck other all-night businesses in nearby towns. Tomaro said he drafted the ordinance after recent incidents, including an April 24 heist when a Route 1 gas station attendant was hit in the head with a metal rod during a robbery in the early morning hours, an April 22 incident when a knife-wielding man robbed a King Georges Post Road gas station in Fords and then pulled out a handgun when the attendant chased him, an April 15 case in which an attendant at a Metuchen gas station grappled with two robbers and was hit in the head with a metal object during the nighttime robbery, and an April 5 incident in which two bat-wielding men in ski masks choked an attendant at a Route 1 gas station in Edison before they robbed him.