ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A local police department wants access to more cameras but they want it to stop criminals.
Channel 2’s Bryan Mims was in Alpharetta with the department’s plea to the community.
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Alpharetta police are working to create a registry of privately owned cameras in the city to help solve crimes. But, they stress the privacy of camera owners is protected because the registry does not have access to live video feeds.
“This is merely a way of letting us know there are cameras on scene and give us an avenue to go have a conversation and then request the footage,” said Lt. Andrew Splawn of the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety.
He said many crimes don’t have witnesses, but they may have cameras around that police don’t know about. That’s why the department wants homeowners and businesses to sign up for the free registry.
Splawn said 47 camera owners are registered so far.
“If a crime happens in an area, we can go back and we can check and see where all cameras are located that have been registered with us, and then that gives us a great follow-up point,” Splawn said.
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Cameras have proven effective in solving crimes across metro Atlanta. In August, doorbell cameras helped police in Fayette County identify a suspect in a string of car break-ins.
Cameras also helped police track the suspect in the midtown mass shooting in May where five people were shot; one of them died.
Nicole Witte of Alpharetta says she appreciates her doorbell camera but wishes she had it a couple of years ago when someone stole her son’s car from their driveway.
“If we had, we would have been able to see more clearly what had happened. The people were never caught,” Witte explained.
She said if she had a camera at the time, police may have identified the thieves.
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At Kilwins, a chocolate shop in downtown Alpharetta, owner Todd Bridges said he would gladly add his name to the city’s registry.
“If it allows them a roster of local merchants where they can check in if they need access to cameras, and if that helps them, then we all win,” Bridges said.
Police said information from the registry is not shared with third parties and is accessible only to the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety.
You can register your camera at https://alpharetta.fusus.org or select the “Security Camera Registration” link on the City of Alpharetta’s website.
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