Cherokee County

Home security cameras: New crime-fighting tool, but is it a privacy concern?

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — It is the new neighborhood watch.

Police are teaming up with homeowners to solve crimes in their communities.

Cherokee County is the latest to get on board with the partnership of sharing home surveillance cameras.

The goal of the new partnership is to have another resource to track down criminals.

There are some privacy concerns. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office wants to address those worries.

They tell Channel 2's Lauren Pozen they are not asking to see random videos live from the community.

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It is only to be used to collect evidence of crimes that happened in an area where the cameras are.

The goal of the new partnership is to have another resource to track down criminals.

All the registered camera's locations are mapped out, so if a crime happens in a particular area, police know where there could be footage.

"This isn't a program where we have access to your cameras, and we are looking and seeing what your cameras looking at," Lt. Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said.

So far, more than 200 people and business owners have signed up.

"It might not help you, but the police might be able to help what happens to a neighbor or someone else," Baker said.

Channel 2 Action News has previously reported on other departments that have similar programs, like in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties, along with Brookhaven and Doraville.

Pozen made several phone calls and found out that both Paulding County and Atlanta police are looking to start up programs like this.