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Security cameras in parks could cost millions
The brutal murder of a woman at Piedmont Park has left many people in Atlanta leery about venturing out. Now, one Atlanta City Council member has an idea to put cameras in every park, but there's one big hurdle: The staggering cost.
ATLANTA - It has been more than 26 months since the brutal murder of Katherine Janness and her partner's dog just inside Piedmont Park. The unsolved murder still weighs heavy on the minds of park patrons and Midtown residents.
Following the brutal stabbings, the Atlanta City Council pledged to increase security in the park, including the installation of surveillance cameras, which were inactive near the site of the murder due to outdated technology. The cameras were not removed because their presence was deemed valuable.
The city did not just stop at Piedmont Park, it wanted all 380 greenspaces covering more than 3,000 acres equipped with high-resolution, real-time cameras.
The Atlanta Parks Department prioritized larger parks as well as locations where crime data show a specific problem for expanded coverage but left out are some large and prominent locations. One of those locations was at Grant Park right outside the recreation center, where last month a patron was held up at gunpoint. No video of the incident exists.
"Essentially, the goal is to put 4 to 8 cameras in each park," said Atlanta City Councilwoman Keisha Waites. "The physical note to put a camera in every park, minimum 4, it's $48 million."
Right now, there’s $4 million available to expand the camera program. Late last month, the city used that month to purchase another 400 cameras.
So, the city is turning to the corporate philanthropic community to help.
"Engaging our Fortune 500 companies who reside here or are joint corporate partners in Atlanta, to ask them to assist us with getting a camera in every park," said Waites.
Waites says equity is important. She wants to see the more expensive VIC integrated cameras that the Atlanta Police Department can track, in every park citywide.
What is known about Katie Janness murder in Piedmont Park?
The killer or killers who brutally stabbed Katherine Janness and her partner's dog Bowie to death on July 28, 2021, remain at-large.
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2 years after brutal stabbing death of Katie Janness
The search for a suspect continues two years after a woman and her dog were brutally murdered in Piedmont Park. Katie Janness and her dog were stabbed to death on this date in 2021.
A bench now sits in the dog park where Janness and Bowie used to spend their free time - a reminder that the mystery behind their deaths remains.
To date, the Atlanta Police Department has not made any arrests, announced any persons of interest or stated a possible motive related to the crime.
(WARNING: Details of this case are disturbing and discretion is advised)
Katherine Janness was found murdered in Piedmont Park on July 28. She was seen walking her dog near the park prior to her death.
Officers went to the entrance of Piedmont Park at 10th Street and Charles Allen Drive around 1 a.m. on July 28, 2021, after receiving a call from Janness' partner Emma Clark.
Clark allegedly tracked them with her iPhone and found both Janness and the 3-year-old dog dead near the entrance to the park.
A relative said Janness was taking Bowie for a quick walk but never came back after dinner. The couple lived up the street from the park and had been together for years.
PIEDMONT PARK MURDER: ATLANTA POLICE RELEASE 911 CALL
Police released an image of Janness and Bowie using a crosswalk near the park shortly before the murder.
Clark spoke with FOX 5 and said she remembers her partner as an "incredible dog mom, a bartender, and an advocate for social justice."
Atlanta Police shared a photo taken from a Midtown security camera before Katherine Janness' murder. (Atlanta Police Department)
Janness suffered more than 50 stab wounds to her face, neck and torso the night in July she was murdered in Piedmont Park, according to an autopsy report.
The autopsy showed Katie Janness died due to "sharp force injuries of her face, neck, and torso" that caused injuries to major blood vessels and internal organs. At least 15 of those wounds were to her head.
The report revealed the letters "F", "A", and "T" were carved into her torso. The report described significant mutilation to her upper torso.
Janness also suffered blunt force injuries that damaged major blood vessels and internal organs, the medical examiner found.
Her death was ruled a homicide.
Katie Janness and her dog Bowie were brutally stabbed to death inside Piedmont Park on July 28, 2021. (Courtesy of the family)
A former investigator said evidence in the autopsy may suggest a "familiarity" and "high emotions."
A retired investigator said some valuable evidence could have been gathered from Bowie's corpse.
APD ordered an examination looking for potential DNA that may have ended up on or in the mouth of Bowie.
So far, police have not released information on the necropsy.
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Grim anniversary: Murder of Katie Janness
It'll be two years Friday since Katie Janness was murdered. She and her dog "Bowie" were found in Piedmont Park with multiple stab wounds.
The murder still remains unsolved and police have released few details.
Atlanta police in January 2022 said investigators were receiving regular tips, following up on leads and meeting regularly with the FBI.
Since then, officials have remained relatively quiet about the investigation other than asking anyone who may have information to call them.