The East Orange Police Department is adding another gadget to its toolkit of crime-fighting technology.

The city will be installing lights in surveillance cameras that warn would-be offenders they’re being watched and that police are on the way.

Acting Chief William Robinson says the new Light-Based Intervention System will help stop crime before it starts.

“I can’t tell you how many times we observed situations on our cameras that scream out a crime is about to occur or how many times camera operators wish they could just jump through the video screen and intervene in developing criminal situations…"

It’s part of a virtual policing method East Orange has been using over the last eight years. City officials say it’s helped bring down the crime rate by over 75 percent.

Chief Robinson believes the new warning lights, combined with crime-sensing surveillance cameras and increased community involvement, will continue the downward trend in the new year.