Security cameras will be going up on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air where resident Rachel Morin‘s body was found on Aug. 6, Harford County government announced on its Facebook page.
“County Executive Bob Cassilly has directed his staff to expedite installation of security cameras along the Ma & Pa Trail,” said county spokesperson Matt Button by email on Thursday. “The county is working with BG&E and private contractors to produce potential project related details, project evaluations and cost estimates. The county executive and his directors have already met with a number of outside experts to solicit their input but there has not yet been a determination as to the types or number of cameras or camera placement.”
“As much as I would like to see the cameras in place today, this project has got to be done right and that is going to take a little bit of time,” Cassilly said in a statement Thursday. “This is about investing in our community to provide a meaningful deterrent to crime and enhance public safety.”
The move comes after Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five from Bel Air, went missing on Aug. 5 after telling her boyfriend that she was going for a walk on the Williams Street trailhead portion of the trail. When Morin didn’t return home that evening, her boyfriend reported her missing to police, who opened a search for her. Morin’s body was found about a mile up on the trail the next day.
While the plan for cameras is underway, there is an increased police presence on the trail. Deputies from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office are patrolling the trail on foot, by bike and on all-terrain vehicles. The Harford County Sheriff’s Foundation made a $20,000 donation last week to purchase a second offroad utility vehicle to patrol the other end of the trail.
The case has drawn national and international media attention. A Harford County councilwoman organized a community walk on the trail on Aug. 8 to encourage people to feel safe walking the trail.
Morin’s family will hold a walk that they’re calling “A Trail of Flowers and Light,” on Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend.
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