Mobile cameras expected to help solve crimes, sheriff says
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta commissioners approved money for additional security cameras for the sheriff’s office.
Mayor Hardie Davis says the crime in Augusta is a public health crisis, and the $300,00 in ARP funding will help.
It will soon be transferred to the sheriff’s office. We spoke with Sheriff Richard Roundtree to see what this money will buy.
EARLIER COVERAGE:
- High-tech cameras are ‘invaluable’ in fighting crime, sheriff says
- How high-tech cameras are helping catch local criminals
He says the budget is an investment back into the community, and now that it’s approved, he’s calling it a game changer.
“Think about if you got 100-200 cameras. Think about that force multiplier that’s going to affect the city,” he said.
Roundtree is excited for the next chapter of crime fighting in Augusta with the help of more high-tech cameras around town.
“People now can have some comfort that when a deputy can’t be everywhere all the time that the more and more of these systems that we put in place, that may help deter these criminals in seeing that they’re going to get caught,” he said.
They have been catching them. Since they installed 25 flock cameras in May and another 25 in August, the sheriff’s office says they’ve been able to solve several crimes they may not have been able to otherwise, including 38 stolen vehicles, a burglary, a sexual assault, two armed robberies, an aggravated assault, two hit-and-runs, two homicides, and the list goes on.
This time, he’s investing in mobile cameras.
“They’re not just always stationary, so we’ll get some mobile ones too. And that’s a huge advantage to be able to pick up and move a system to an area that has an uptick in crime or in burglaries,” said Roundtree.
The company behind the cameras is called Flock Safety. They tell us the highly calibrated camera is called the Falcon Flex.
“It comes with the special pole mount and a ball mount in order to be placed in areas that are more crime-heavy,” said Holly Beilin, head of public relations at Flock Safety.
Roundtree says with a city the size of Augusta, you can’t place a camera on every street corner.
“What we’re going to be doing now, in the next few weeks, is starting to identify the areas where we want to start deploying additional cameras,” said Roundtree.
He says more cameras means more eyes.
“Then you see that you can multiply that force by 10. I think the criminals will start to think twice that you may want to commit a crime but they’re gonna get caught. And that’s the ultimate goal is to prevent them from wanting to commit a crime,” said Roundtree.
The sheriff’s office isn’t the only one seeing results from the cameras. The owner of the Landings Apartment complex said a homicide outside of his property was solved thanks to the help of Flock cameras.
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