DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County is making a huge new investment to fight crime.
The county is investing nearly $19 million over the next decade to enhance public safety through a new initiative called the “Digital Shield.”
Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach was live on Channel 2 Action News at 4:00 from Lavista Road in DeKalb County, where the plan adds a new network of cameras.
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The investment, approved at this week’s Board of Commissioners meeting, will fund a network of cameras and license plate readers across the county. This technology from Flock Safety aims to monitor major intersections and neighborhood entrances in real time, allowing police to track vehicles and search for any car that has passed by.
The contract with Flock adds more cameras and license plate readers to capture cars: make, model, color and read the tag number, letting police track in in real time, or search any car that’s passed by.
The initiative allows the county “to pull something together something much bigger than many of us visualized individually,” DeKalb County Commissioner LaDena Bolton said.
It will integrate into DeKalb’s new Real Time Crime Technology Center, including gunshot detection, enhanced Flock 911 and AI-enabled drones, like currently deployed in Dunwoody that can get to scenes faster, cut response times, even safely identify and track a suspect from a distance.
CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson thanked the board for a unanimous vote, calling it a defining moment as they reimagine public safety.
In statement to Channel 2 Action News, she said, “This unprecedented investment gives our police department the tools to prevent crime, solve cases faster, and give residents the peace of mind they deserve.”
Commissioners, hearing concerns from those they serve about safety and crime in their neighborhoods…also applaud the Digital Shield.
“Some of us have used our own reserves to try to address the issue, but this is a new age, new technology, very excited,” DeKalb County Commissioner Nicole Massiah said.
This initiative will cover all corners of the county, with some of the new cameras and technology going in almost immediately and with full Flock implementation within a year.
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