Convenience stores across unincorporated DeKalb County will soon be mandated to have high-quality video surveillance systems.
The mandate, first brought forth by Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson over the summer, was unanimously approved by her colleagues on Tuesday. It will officially go into effect in June of next year, but preparations — which include the county hiring six new code compliance officers to help keep tabs on things — will begin much sooner.
All of it’s aimed at helping stem violence at some of DeKalb’s most frequent trouble spots.
“It has taken six months,” Cochran-Johnson said Tuesday, “but I do believe we have a solid piece of legislation here that will go a long way in helping to deter crime at gas and service stations across DeKalb County.”
In all, about 250 convenience stores located in unincorporated DeKalb County (meaning: not in a city) will be affected. Under the ordinance, each store is ordered to install a high-resolution camera covering each gas pump, entry and exit points, and each cash register.
The cameras are also required to cover parking lots and loading docks, and would all need to be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with infrared or night vision capabilities.
The focus is on convenience stores, which, according to data previously obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, made up 19 of the 50 DeKalb County locations where violent crime was reported most frequently in 2021.
But the ordinance adopted Tuesday also includes provisions for cameras to be required at other commercial establishments, including extended stay motels, if they meet certain thresholds for violent crime.
Commissioner Ted Terry, chairman of the board’s public safety committee, said that, while state law limits the options, it’s important for local governments to do anything they can to try and stem gun violence.
Lance Hammonds, chairman of the DeKalb County NAACP, thanked commissioners for their work.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Hammonds said. “My neighbors think it’s a great idea.”
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