Police cameras score nearly 100,000 alerts

The Brookhaven Police Department has joined the Georgia Power license plate reader network, a pilot program the department proposed to the City Council nearly a year ago, according to a news release.

The Georgia Power program, named SiteView, has helped in numerous cases. Since the implementation of the program, the devices have scanned about 3,500,000 license plates a month resulting in over 95,000 alerts a month to offenses such as carjackings, stolen vehicles, expired tags and suspended insurance. Forty-four LPRs in the Georgia Power program are located throughout Brookhaven. Additionally, two neighborhoods in Brookhaven are installing the equipment on their roads through Georgia Power.

“Utilizing license plate reader technology has been instrumental in both the detection and deterrence of crime. The Georgia Power program greatly increases our access to this type of equipment,” said Brookhaven Police Chief Gary Yandura. “We’ve made 13 vehicle break-in arrests this year, and I believe that can be attributed to the LPRs.”

In January 2017, the police department was contacted by Georgia Power regarding a newly formed division of its company that was created to provide law enforcement agencies the opportunity to increase the use of video cameras and license plate readers. The program allows the City to lease video cameras and LPRs from Georgia Power, which in turn affixes the devices to its own poles. Under the agreement, Georgia Power is responsible for maintenance and upgrades of the system.

“Georgia Power is focused on offering products and services that meet the needs of our customers,” said Scotty Hutto, Georgia Power Lighting & Security Services Manager. “We are excited at the success of SiteView in the city of Brookhaven, the first city in the state to implement this program.”

The City Council approved the agreement with Georgia Power in September.

The Georgia Power program complements the LPR program the police department already had in place. The police department has been using video cameras and LPRs since the department began operations in mid2013. However, prior to the Georgia Power program, access to the equipment had been limited due to cost and location need. PAMELA MILLER FOR THE AJC