SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. --
Sandy Springs police will soon be able to watch live surveillance video from their patrol cars.
The department is the first in the state to have the high-tech system.
Lt. David Roskind told Channel 2 that they plan to monitor both private and public cameras using Iron Sky.
The program runs with the assistance of Google maps. Roskind showed Channel 2's Erica Byfield how it works. He said red dots on the map represent cameras in a location, and with a click of the mouse, a new window opens with live streaming video of the intersection or building.
"We may not always have an officer in a certain location, but if we can be alerted by the video, it should help us respond better," he said.
Roskind told Byfield that the majority of the time, officers will view the video in their patrol cars, but they will also have access to it on their smartphones.
Along with patrol officers, dispatchers and managers can view the video.
The total cost of the project is $920,000. The majority of the money will go toward equipping 62 patrol cars. In the next fiscal year, Roskind says, they'll add Iron Sky to 18 other cars. The rest of the money will be used to upgrade the department's Emergency Operation Center and Intelligence Center.
Roskind said the new technology will change the way officers fight crime. "Hopefully be able to track them until we get our units there," he said.
Sandy Springs police plan to share the technology with the city's fire department.
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