The City of Atlanta this morning signed a contract with Motorola to unify its public and private surveillance camera systems with the hope of deterring more crime in its downtown and midtown districts.
Already, the city has completed the first phase of the project, upgrading its analog cameras to digital models that can pan, tilt and zoom, as well as adding wireless connectivity.
The next step involves combining the systems into a single command-and-control environment located at the city’s Video Integration Center. The idea is to integrate the system and prepare it to scale further if necessary, from a wider range to the inclusion of real-time video streaming capability.
The Atlanta Police Department says the system will help it observe incidents as they happen and make more informed decisions on where and how to dispatch officers. It will also help in emergency situations, where the police will have visibility into the situation before first responders arrive on the scene.
