The Atlanta Police Department is looking to expand its new camera surveillance program to help combat crime, and officials are asking the public for help doing that.
“We come to you today to talk about what is truly the neighborhood watch of the 21st century, where technology and our Ring cameras are being used to solve crimes and help our most vulnerable citizens in Atlanta," interim Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Tuesday about the department's Connect Atlanta initiative.
According to WXIA-TV, Connect Atlanta was unveiled in January, and it links over 5,700 integrated and 3,000 registered cameras around the city. The camera network allows officers to pull up footage on their cellphones before even arriving at an incident, and it helps locate fellow officers and first responders at the scene. Since debuting, the program has been a crucial police tool in multiple cases, including the search for a missing Alzheimer's patient and two shootings.
“If it were not for the cameras, all we would have gone out there and done is collect shell casings and we wouldn’t really have a clue about what happened," said Major Michael O’Connor. "So the video cameras made it possible for us to identity everyone."
In order to keep Connect Atlanta growing, the department is urging residents to register their personal security cameras, such as Ring doorbell cameras, with the department. Currently, the majority of the cameras in the network are business-owned or city cameras.
“Once we have a crime, (officers) can draw a circle around that location and say, ‘Hey, we had an incident in this location. Can you check this time frame on your Ring camera or home security camera to see if you have any footage?' … and so then they share that with us," said Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. "That’s the only involvement. we are not spying in on their cameras at all."
