“About 10 minutes after they put it up, there were about 5 (individuals) walking up the road, and they were headed that way,” Gibson said. “They saw that (camera), stopped there at the corner, dead in their tracks, turned around and went the opposite direction down the road.”
Since a downtown business owners’ meeting on June 30, Gibson and Jeff Payne, Downtown Middletown Inc. executive director, said they have not seen additional violent incidents.
“Middletown police has had a pretty good presence over here,” Gibson said.
Gibson said business owners further down Central Avenue are hoping for expanded surveillance.
Payne said he wants more consistency between business owners, police and local outreach groups like The Gathering in Middletown and how each addresses the issue of homeless individuals downtown.
“We need to look at how each operates and see where there’s overlap, where there’s a gap...that kind of thing,” Payne said.
He said he hopes to keep attention on the issue.
“It’s an opportunity to make some changes,” he said.
The camera is one of 12 flock cameras Middletown police bought after receiving a $61,000 grant from the 2025 State Violent Crime Reduction funding, according to Police Chief Earl Nelson.
The camera can be moved for different events and crime hotspots.
The flock cameras and trailer provide increased surveillance, real-time alerts, evidence collection, community awareness and targeted policing.
Heather Gibson, owner of Triple Moon Coffee Company at 1100 Central Ave., said in early June, there were two fights near her business involving individuals experiencing homelessness.
A June 16 incident resulted in the arrest of the aggressor.
Since December 2024, Victoria Hensley of HopeLine and a Middletown police officer have partnered to reach out to those needing help in the homeless population. The outreach team is plans to increase visits to three days a week, Nelson said.
“We have and will continue to help them with any criminal issues that arise in the area,” he said.
In the June 17 meeting, Gibson called on council to establish immediate emergency shelter options, establish mental health crisis teams that can respond alongside police, clearly enforce laws and ordinances and produce a real strategy with timelines and accountability. She said tearing down homeless encampments is not the answer.
“These aren’t ‘perceptions’ of safety issues. These are real events, happening to real people in our city,” she said.
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