Surveillance cameras helping police patrol

ROSWELL, Ga. — When drug dealers chose a Duluth parking lot to sell, a surveillance camera overhead caught them in the act, thanks to a unique agreement between the city, the owner of the shopping center, and a company that installs surveillance cameras.

The shopping center’s owner, Ramco-Gersheson, Inc., paid the company, Genetech, to install 13 cameras at its property on Peachtree-Industrial Boulevard, and then granted Duluth Police access to the video feeds.

Last month, Roswell leaders signed a similar agreement.

“It seemed very advantageous to patrol an area virtually, without having to dedicate an officer,” Duluth Police Captain Chuck Wilson told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik. “We have a combination of volunteer and full-time employees and citizens who come and help us patrol the cameras.”

Wilson showed Petchenik how with the swipe of an app, he can pull up various angles on the cameras from his iPhone.

“We’ve identified numerous entering auto perpetrators, suspicious persons in the area, drug deals and things of that nature,” said Wilson.

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Debbie Mattingly, property manager for the Peachtree Hills and Holcomb Center shopping centers, told Petchenik in an e-mailed statement that they are “acting preemptively, as we do not have serious crime problem at the either property, and that we are a progressive organization willing to partner with the local police departments to ensure the retailers and their customers’ safety. While not an exact match in services, in many cases it represents a reduction in expenses over previously monitored systems as it is also a Ramco-Gershenson, Inc. objective to control expenses for our tenants.”

Bob Carter, a business development manager for Genetech, told Petchenik the agreement has been successful in other cities, including Detroit.

“The participants have noticed a 50 percent drop in crime, but there they’ve seen a 35 percent increase in business themselves,” Carter said. “In the past these kinds of systems haven’t been affordable for a mom and pop business, like a gas station.  Now these facilities have the ability to have HD quality video and connected to the police department.”

Carter said his company is currently in talks with Atlanta Police about having cameras installed and monitored at gas stations in light of an increase in carjackings in the city and in South Fulton County.

“It allows the business community and law enforcement, government sector to work together to improve the area,” he said.

Roswell Police Chief Rusty Grant told Petchenik his department has agreed to take a feed from the Holcomb Center shopping center on Holcomb Bridge Road on the city’s East end. Grant said as part of the pilot program the department will not be actively monitoring the cameras.

“The city of Roswell is working with local businesses to try to prevent crime as well as solve crime,” he said. “It will be a tremendous help so that once a crime is committed, being able to put a lookout and potentially and usually find the person much, much quicker.”

Cox Media Group