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DULUTH, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Duluth Police want residents to know that the 150 "live" city cameras help officers watch out for people in need, and easily track criminals on the run.
"They're solving crimes every day," said Officer Ted Sadowski with Duluth Police. "The best part is that [the cameras] are live... every second counts," he said.
Police showed FOX 5 News city camera surveillance of a hit-and-run crash to show how dispatchers watched a crime in "real" time and notified officers where the vehicle was headed.
The crash happened Monday around noon at the corner of Georgia Highway 120 and Buford Highway; police said 19-year-old Tashara McClendon ran a red light, went to check on the other vehicle, then got in her car and fled the scene.
Police said dispatchers, upon hearing the 911 call, watched the cameras at the intersection and observed McClendon drive away; observant dispatchers notified drivers what direction the vehicle went.
Officers spotted McClendon's vehicle with deployed airbags, pulled it over, and charged the driver with hit and run-failure to stop and render aid, failure to obey a traffic signal or light, and driving permit holder driving without Class C or higher license.
Police credit observant dispatchers and the team of trained volunteer citizens with spotting incidents such as traffic accidents, or even suspects fleeing neighborhoods after a crime.
The police department currently has around 19 citizens who volunteer to monitor these 150 cameras through a virtual patrol.
Apply to volunteer here.