New Plan Partly in Response to Sept. 11 Attacks
The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The state is spending nearly $4 million to equip highway rest stops with security cameras and emergency call boxes, officials said Monday.
The system, expected to be in place by mid-October, will let people contact state police if they feel threatened at any of the state’s 53 rest stops and will give police a record of crimes committed there.
People needing help simply to push a button on the emergency box. That automatically alerts authorities and sends them pictures from that camera so they can see what is happening.
“It adds to our homeland security,” said Mike Monseur, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.