Ongoing damage to Lincoln Park on Powers Avenue was perplexing city officials.

Then they decided to place a “demonstration” camera whose use was offered for free by a manufacturer hoping to secure city business.

In no time at all, the clarity of video images captured were more than enough to make an arrest and end the vandalism.

Across town at Library Park, another company’s demo camera played opera music from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for a month.

Nearby neighbors couldn’t hear it, but those tempted to “bed down” illegally for a few hours in Library Park kept moving as clearly they didn’t want to be serenaded to sleep by opera music.

Manteca — that took years to embrace license plate readers, red light cameras, and traffic cameras — is looking at using emerging camera technology to go to the next level when it comes to boosting public safety.

The first place such cameras will appear is at the $3.1 million plus interactive water play feature nearing completion at Woodward Park.

Not only will they provide direct live physical feeds to the city, but also sound.

And — equally important — they will allow someone to communicate to those at the water play feature whether they are compromising safety or to tell them to move on after the park has closed.

Such technology was deployed by BR Funsten for years at their former distribution center at South Main Street and Industrial Park Drive before they invested in wrought iron fencing to secure a large grassy area and parking lot adjacent to their officers.

When a trespasser — in their case primarily the homeless who would use the private property to sleep — crossed into the area, it would trigger a sensor.

Additional lighting would come on.

A recorded message would also be activated, repeating over and over again the intruder was on private property, and telling them to move on.

It kept doing so until sensors could no longer detect trespassers.

The city will be considering placing similar cameras at Morezone Baseball Park, Library Park, Woodward Park, and the skate park.

The skate park, which is somewhat isolated from the view of the street, is targeted for improvements.

Morezone Baseball Park where a new restroom building is among the city’s priorities in the upcoming fiscal year due to wear and tear, also has problematic homeless-related issues.

The technology also could be deployed on mobile police units which as the upcoming three-day Memorial Day Weekend commemoration at Woodward Park.

Such cameras also have the ability to be remotely operated so it can change not just what is being viewed but has the ability to zoom in as well.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com