Supporters call for cameras at Ohio rest stops, saying they could save lives

Supporters of a bill to install cameras at all 85 rest stops in Ohio said they would prevent human trafficking and improve security. The bill supported by nearly a quarter of House Democrats was also touted during a committee hearing as a potential lifeline.

In August 2018, Scott Reichard stopped at a rest area on I-77 in Bath Township, near Akron, and was beaten by a man who then stole his truck and ran it over.

“Scott was literally at that rest stop for less than 6 minutes when all of these events took place and this man took his own life abruptly,” his widow Joyce Chambers Reichard told lawmakers during a hearing on the bill 473. “There were only a few people at the rest stop that night, and not a single person saw the incident in its entirety – only fragments, because there was no cameras had to piece together this whole situation.

Paul Randall Jr. of Dolgeville, N.Y., was sentenced to 30 years in prison for that attack, but Reichard said that without cameras, other crimes may go unsolved.

“He very well could have disappeared as he had planned and gotten away with Scott’s death,” Reichard said. “Unfortunately, however, many families are left with exactly that; the loss of a loved one, no one to hold accountable, and many unanswered questions.

Mahoning County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova also testified in favor of the bill, saying it could help combat human trafficking in Ohio, ranked as the fourth worst state in the country.

DeGenova said awareness campaigns launched by governments and by truckers can help save trafficking victims, but cameras could go a long way in finding them quickly and eventually prosecuting their captors.

“Camera footage doesn't lie. Surveillance cameras capture events in real time and in an unfiltered form,” DiGenova said. “Video recordings add credibility and corroboration to accounts given by human beings and can capture incidents when no one else is present. They fill in gaps where a person's memory may fail or where a witness becomes unavailable.”

Questions have been raised about how long videos are stored and how to monitor cameras. DeGenova suggested cameras that would start recording when they detected movement. Reichard suggested that staff responsible for cleaning and maintaining rest areas could be drafted in to check on them.

Six Democrats have signed on as sponsors of freshman Rep. Lauren McNally's (D-Youngstown) bill. No Republicans signed. The bill has been the subject of two hearings since it was introduced in April.

McNally initially suggested that installing the cameras could cost more than $35 million. But an analysis by state law researchers says the bill likely won't result in additional costs because the Ohio Department of Transportation is already installing cameras at new and renovated rest areas, at a cost of up to $508,000 per rest area. Seven Ohio rest areas are now equipped with cameras. Seventeen rest areas are closed for renovation.