Village officials hope a new portable wireless camera system will deter vandals and prevent graffiti, an ongoing problem throughout the village according to interim Police Chief Gary Bitler.

The Village Board on Monday approved purchasing a flash cam digital vandalism deterrent system at a cost of $6,800.

"We will target one area and install the real camera and three fake cameras and nobody will know where the real camera is located," said Mayor Richard Hill.

Bitler said graffiti is a problem all over the village.

"We see it on residences, garages, fences," he said. "We anticipate targeting some areas where we have problems, and we will see how effective it is. We did thorough research of different camera systems, and this seems the most cost-effective for the price."

Bitler said the battery-run system is kept charged through a solar panel. "It is relatively small and easily moved and seems to fit our needs."

He said the camera system is an experiment, and if it proves effective the village may purchase more.

"The good thing about this system is that it is portable," he said. "We can install it in an area, monitor it for a few weeks and if we see no activity, we can move it to another area."

Officers will be trained to use the system before it is installed, probably as soon as March.

"We have a list of problem areas, and we will choose the first location based on priority, but I expect the success will be hit or miss," Bitler said. "We will place it in areas where we think it will do the most good."