Slow progress on adding security cameras at Atlanta parks

ATLANTA - When families enjoy City of Atlanta parks, they may assume there are security cameras overhead. But as it turns out, there may not be.

Keisha Waites, a city council member, asked commissioner Justin Cutler whether all parks had live cameras. He answered "no."

Atlanta has hundreds of parks. There are just a few hundred cameras up right now sprinkled around the citywide locations.

In July 2021, following the fatal stabbing of Katie Janness at Piedmont Park, there was public outcry for more comprehensive security measures.  When it was revealed that Piedmont Park cameras didn't work or were not integrated into the police network, city officials made promises.

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.

For example, on Oct. 2, a patron had finished his walk and returned to his car at Grant Park right outside the recreation center. According to an Atlanta police report, a teen on a scooter rode up to the car and put a gun at the windshield. The kid ordered him to hand over his wallet. That park patron did not, and the would-be robber rode off.

There were no cameras that captured the incident.

Grant Park is among the largest parks in the entire city.

On Friday, Cutler's office said another 400 cameras will be purchased.

Atlanta has $4 million dollars available for security surveillance.