Traffic-monitoring cameras planned for area near Ebara Elliott Energy in Jeannette

Jeannette police will soon have a 24-hour view of roads near Ebara Elliott Energy as the company is buying security cameras and license plate readers.

Council approved the installation of four cameras and three license plate readers in the area of the company’s U.S. headquarters in Jeannette. Police chief Derek Manley said the devices will be integrated into the department’s existing network of cameras around the city.

Ebara Elliott Energy is footing the $16,330 bill for the purchase and installation.

The devices will be installed in the area of North Fourth Street, Spring Valley Road and Rosalind Street. Employees park in lots in that area and cross a street to get to work. An employee died Dec. 21, 2021, after being hit by a vehicle while crossing Claridge-Elliott Road.

Investigators determined no one was criminally liable in the incident.

Police conducted a targeted enforcement there in May after Elliott officials shared safety concerns. Officers reported seeing drivers commit 18 violations near crosswalks on Claridge-Elliott Road during a four-hour period when morning and afternoon shift changes were taking place. They often saw drivers failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks.

Manley said the problems there have gotten a bit better since then. Officers regularly provide enforcement in that area.

The addition of cameras and license plate readers will help police in the event an investigation is necessary, he said.

“Ebara Elliott Energy is committed to providing a safe workplace,” said spokesperson Meagan Price in a statement. “We appreciate the efforts of the City of Jeannette’s police to keep our communities safe.”

After the 2021 fatality, the company added signage on the road which has a few crosswalks and signs alerting drivers to pedestrians.

Drivers are required to yield to anyone in a crosswalk, no matter what side of the road the pedestrian is on. Pedestrians should not walk or run unexpectedly into the path of a vehicle approaching a crosswalk and should look both ways before entering one, according to information provided by PennDOT.