I love writing about technology. First, because it makes me sound younger than I am (don’t ask). Second, and more importantly, it is because technology has fundamentally changed and enhanced the work we do in law enforcement.
In previous On the Beat articles, Captain Berg and I have written about our Department’s use of technology, including articles about our advanced body cameras, our upgraded Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, and our new police vehicles equipped with GPS and Bluetooth capabilities. For this month’s column, I will be discussing our latest attempt at partnering with the community by using video surveillance technology, a program we call the Connect DeKalb County Initiative.
Gone are the days of video recording to VHS videotapes and CDs. Today, most video cameras digitally record their data and indeed many are “IP” cameras that can stream directly to the internet. With this advancement, video evidence showing crimes and footage of potential suspects are of higher quality and more easily processed by our detectives. The problem with video evidence is knowing where a camera is located and if it captured a criminal act. Fortunately, our Department has partnered with a company called FUSUS to help us integrate and monitor cameras throughout DeKalb County.
Recently, our Department began asking individuals and business owners to voluntarily register their privately owned surveillance cameras into a system called FUSUS. Registering your cameras does not give anyone outside of law enforcement access to them. It just means that an investigator with our Department can quickly identify where cameras are located in case of a crime related incident. The detective or investigator can then request copies of digital recordings via a digital drop box link sent directly to the camera owner.
A second – and entirely voluntary - registration level does offer the option of allowing DKPD direct and real-time access to a particular camera feed. While there is a cost to this option (for equipment and a subscription fee), again this is a voluntary program. All camera settings and camera access is controlled entirely by the camera owner and not the Department.
In the end, the goal of this initiative is to make our community safer by obtaining better evidence, solving more crimes, and ultimately reducing criminal behavior. For more information on this new initiative, go to connectdekalbcounty.org/ or scan the QR code above with your smart phone. The website has more information about the two levels of connectivity, a FAQ section, and a link to easily register your camera system.
