How Technology Plays its Part, December 2021

One of the most–if not the most–important responsibilities of local government, is to create a safe environment for its residents and visitors. The Council, Staff and I take this responsibility very seriously. To provide a high level of safety in today’s world not only takes people, but technology as well.

We rely heavily on our Intergovernmental Agreement with the Gwinnett County Police Department (GCPD) to provide highly trained officers to enforce our laws and provide a high level of safety and security. Since we achieved cityhood, GCPD has provided Peachtree Corners with an outstanding level of service, but as the environment changes, we must continually search for ways to adapt and improve. As a city that prides itself on leading in the way of technology, we often look that way for innovative solutions.

As most of you know, the ability of police departments across the country to hire and retain qualified officers has become a challenge. Here in Gwinnett County, that is no different. As this challenge continues, the need for technology to support officers in the field has increased. The City has and will continue to work strategically with the GCPD to identify and launch solutions that support the officers in the field.

One solution that had been implemented by the City was the installation of 25 license plate reader cameras at strategic locations throughout the City. These locations were identified by GCPD as areas in which they needed more vision. These cameras are being used to scan license plates and use that information to identify any vehicles included on the ‘Be on the Look Out’ (BOLO) list issued by the police. In addition to the cameras installed by the City, GCPD has access to over 1,500 cameras in the metro Atlanta region and around 2,000 statewide. This network allows the GCPD to track a plate, over time, covering a large area.

These cameras have provided GCPD the ability to monitor multiple locations, with less officers, thus increasing the efficiency of their operations. Since the installation of these cameras, GCPD has used the technology to identify and arrest multiple suspects believed to have been involved in several shootings that occurred in the area. Additionally, the cameras have been used as a resource that has led to the recovery of over $1M in stolen property from June 2021 to October 2021. While these cameras in their current state have been successful, some criminals are aware of this type of technology and are finding ways to circumvent their current limitations.

As some of you may know, our City has dealt with a few street racing and intersection takeovers over the past couple of months. As has been occurring nationwide, those participating in these activities are not rowdy teenagers, but members of “car clubs”. They use these events to monetize their activities by recording their activities, posting videos on various social media platforms and online sites and obtaining views, shares and likes on the platforms.

Unfortunately, these events are classified as misdemeanor traffic violations by the State, and by policy, GCPD does not engage in the active pursuit of these vehicles or those participating. Recently, the laws governing these crimes have been strengthened but are only applied to those deemed repeat offenders. In response, GCPD has recommended the City upgrade our cameras with an additional application that will allow them to identify the vehicle through means other than a license plate. As we move forward, this winter, the City will be adding an additional 25 cameras at other strategic locations identified by GCPD.

Another way the City is looking to move forward is to work with our neighbors and petition our State Legislators to find other ways to enhance the laws regarding these types of incidents. The City will continue to work to have these types of activities classified as a higher level, arrestable offense and to include increased penalties for those who violate.

As the City continues to grow, the need for monitoring increases. For example, the popularity of Town Center continues to increase, and there are few times when someone isn’t enjoying the town green, playground equipment, restaurants or entertainment events. To secure the area, and to keep everyone safe, the City has enlisted the services of an off-duty police officer. To assist that officer, we will be installing a network of 76 cameras throughout the facility. This camera network will provide the officer with the ability to monitor multiple locations around town center from one central location, giving that officer the vision of 20 officers, without the need for that type of manpower. Also, when there is not an officer on duty, the video will be available to GCPD as notifications are received at their main surveillance center.

Regarding privacy, it is important to note that these cameras do not employ facial recognition capabilities or any other type of identification software. They have the technology built in to recognize crowds gathered and send notifications to the GCPD for them to verify in real time what is taking place in that field of view. This technology will provide officers with the ability to respond to a location quickly if the need arises.

The City of Peachtree Corners is committed to keeping our citizens safe whenever and wherever they may be in our City. Through our strong partnership with GCPD, we will continue to support them with technology that enhances and multiplies their effectiveness to patrol and provide the highest level of safety and security to our residents and visitors. While we fully support their role in providing public safety to our citizens, we understand and acknowledge that your public safety is our responsibility, and we will continue to work to make Peachtree Corners the safest city in the state