Beede to add security cameras after break-ins, other incidents

Beede ne’er-do-wells be warned: Security cameras will be watching. 

Recreation Director Leigh Jackson floated the move by the Recreation Commission and won quick support after a spate of issues at Beede Swim and Fitness Center. 

Locker break-ins ramped up in recent weeks, but police faced security blind spots. Jackson said new eyes should help address the problem. 

“The idea of someone breaking into a locker and stealing my stuff is absolutely horrifying,” Rec Commissioner Pete Funkhouser said during the panel’s November meeting. 

Funkhouser said he uses Beede, and anything to fix these issues “is a great step forward.” 

Jackson said the men’s locker room on Beede’s lower level has been a problem spot in recent months. 

• In mid-August, someone yelled at and spat on staff in the lower lobby.
• Between late September and November 3, people broke into four lockers and stole cash and a gold watch.
• On November 4, someone swiped a wallet from the strength and conditioning room.

Jackson told The Acton Bridge that Beede has outdoor surveillance and a camera at the building entrance. Without interior cameras, Jackson said, officials haven’t been able to identify perpetrators.

Police Capt. Brian Goldman said locker room thefts aren’t a new problem. He recalled issues going back years, including at a now-shuttered Gold’s Gym in town. Police can’t direct people at such facilities to add cameras, but he said this will make Beede more secure.

“It’s a good thing they’re doing it,” he said.

Four new cameras will cost roughly $6,000. They’ll cover the lower lobby and “locker adjacent areas.” Jackson said Beede has had problems with cleanliness, and cameras could also help staff ensure that after-hours custodians are fully cleaning the space. 

Jackson said she’s hearing complaints from staff and patrons. People seeking security can expect changes soon. While the schedule isn’t set in stone, Jackson said new cameras should come online early next year.