ORLANDO, Fla. – Surveillance cameras are coming to trails in Orange County in an effort to reduce crime in those areas.
The Orange County Parks and Recreation Division on Wednesday will install four solar-powered cameras along the West Orange Trail, Pine Hills Trail, Little Econ Greenway and Cady Way Trail.
The county said the goal of each $7,000 camera is to prevent after-hours activity on the trails, which close after sunset.
The FlashCAM systems take still images and will be placed in strategic locations as determined by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
According to the county, the cameras are portable and equipped with voice commands to alert a person that they're being recorded and should leave the area.
In recent years, deputies say several people have fallen victim to crime along the trails where the cameras are being installed.
In November 2018, investigators said several Ocoee High School students were ambushed while walking to class on the West Orange Trail. According to detectives, a man robbed the students at gunpoint before he fled in a red four-door vehicle.
In April 2018, a woman told deputies an armed man stole her phone while she was biking along the Cady Way Trail.
In 2017, deputies said a man tried to abduct a woman on the Little Econ Greenway before she was able to get away and call for help. The attempted abduction happened near the same area where Nicole Ganguzza was killed during an evening jog in 2008.
County leaders said all the cameras will be installed before the end of the week.