The information collected by the cameras will assist Gwinnett County Police Department (GCPD) in investigating cases such as those involving stolen vehicles, entering autos, thefts, property damage and more. Data will be stored in a cloud server for 30 days and will only be accessed by GCPD. “The City Council and I consider community safety of utmost importance,” said Mayor Mike Mason. “The Gwinnett County Police Department provides excellent service to our residents and businesses, but we felt there was more that we could do to enhance the safety of our city.”
The solar-powered cameras will be mounted on 10-foot poles and positioned to capture vehicles entering and exiting the city. The locations of the 25 cameras were selected by the GCPD based on criteria such as traffic counts, crime rates, and types of activity in the immediate area. A map showing the locations is below.
The cameras will take still photos of objects that enter the camera’s field of view. For vehicles, data from the captured image will include a timestamp, a vehicle’s make and model, color, and license plate number. The Gwinnett County Police Department (GCPD) will use the information captured by the cameras to identify vehicles that are associated with illegal activity or are of interest to authorities. A real-time alert will be sent to GCPD Officers for vehicles that meet the criteria.
While the cameras will operate 24 hours per day and will also capture non-vehicular images such as pedestrians and cyclists, they are not designed and will not be used for speed or red-light enforcement. The LPR cameras help police solve more crimes and reduce criminal activity.
“This installation of LPR cameras will help fill the gap in camera coverage that currently exists in the area and is a great example of the city using technology and innovation to help GCPD protect our community,” said City Manager Brian Johnson.
Roughly one-third of police departments in the metro area use LPR camera technology to address crime. Earlier this year, an LPR camera located in Gwinnett County helped police apprehend a man wanted for murder. Police were alerted that a vehicle driven by the suspect had just passed through a particular intersection and they were able to apprehend the suspect and make an arrest. In Sandy Springs, an LPR camera assisted police in capturing an alleged porch pirate who was later connected to hundreds of cases of mail fraud across the country. And in Cobb County, LPR cameras helped local police capture criminals that later were
connected to other unrelated crimes.
“These cameras have become an extremely valuable resource for the police department when it comes to solving crime,” said Corporal Collin Flynn, of Gwinnett Police Department’s Public Information Office. “Officers are able to use the footage from these cameras to identify vehicles immediately after a crime occurs. This technology has been instrumental in solving a multitude of crimes in Gwinnett County and has helped officers recover over 100 stolen vehicles.”
Installation is expected to take 6 – 8 weeks and will begin in December. The city will lease the cameras for $2,500 per camera, maintenance, repairs and replacement are included.
