....We know that APD stated that most of the cameras inside the park were so old that date could not actually be retrieved from them....
This is what burns me up. If those camera's had been operational the killer of Katherine Janness might well have been identified and captured. The cameras were initially installed in 2010 and monitored on a 24-hour basis by APD officers in Zone 5, stationed at a precinct near Emory Midtown Hospital. But for whatever reason, either the cameras stopped working or the monitoring stopped, they were not operation with Katherine was murdered. I did some research with an AI tool and here is what I learned:
The surveillance cameras in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, were installed in 2010 as part of a targeted initiative to bolster public safety and assist law enforcement in monitoring criminal activity. This effort built upon earlier surveillance deployments in the Midtown area, where the first camera had been placed at 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue in 2005, contributing to broader urban security enhancements.
The system comprised eight cameras, strategically positioned at key locations within the park. These included entrances at or near 10th Street, 12th Street, 14th Street, and Park Drive; the Noguchi Playscape; the Mayor's Grove Playground; the Greystone bathhouse adjacent to the aquatic center; and an area near the parking deck. Notably, one camera at the 12th Street entrance predated the 2010 expansion and had already been operational. The placement decisions were made through collaboration among the Atlanta Police Department (APD), the Piedmont Park Conservancy, and the city's Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs.
Installation occurred during the week preceding May 1, 2010, with the cameras becoming fully operational on that date. The project was spearheaded by former Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver, who had advocated for the system for approximately four years. Funding was secured through Fauver's allocation of approximately $50,000 from her saved annual council expense account, with an equivalent amount matched by the Piedmont Driving Club in exchange for an easement. This collaborative financing model covered the total cost of the system.
The primary purpose of the cameras was to deter crime, enhance visitor safety, and provide evidentiary support for police investigations, drawing inspiration from the success of Midtown Blue's surveillance network, which had facilitated over 700 arrests since 2005. Monitoring was conducted on a 24-hour basis by APD officers in Zone 5, stationed at a precinct near Emory Midtown Hospital. Signs were planned to inform park visitors of the surveillance, further serving as a deterrent. The system was designed with scalability in mind, allowing for potential future expansions.
This installation occurred amid a regional trend toward increased surveillance in public spaces, as seen in nearby areas like Lilburn and Suwanee, though it also sparked debates on privacy implications, with critics expressing concerns over potential infringements on personal liberties.
The surveillance cameras in Piedmont Park ceased to function effectively by 2021 primarily due to technological obsolescence and a lack of integration with the Atlanta Police Department's Video Integration Center (VIC). Installed in 2010, the system had aged to approximately 13 years by the time of the incident, rendering its hardware and software incompatible with modern monitoring protocols required for real-time connectivity and recording. This incompatibility stemmed from the cameras' standalone design, which did not support linkage to the VIC—a centralized hub for aggregating feeds from various sources across the city.
Additionally, the cameras were managed and operated by the Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation rather than directly by the Atlanta Police Department, which contributed to coordination challenges in upgrades and oversight. While explicit references to a "lack of maintenance" are limited in available reports, the prolonged use of outdated equipment without modernization implies insufficient ongoing investment in updates or technical servicing. City officials noted efforts to collaborate with vendors to recover any potential footage post-incident, underscoring the system's degraded state. These factors collectively resulted in the cameras being non-operational or ineffective for investigative purposes during critical events.
If Monitoring was conducted on a 24-hour basis by APD officers in Zone 5, stationed at a precinct near Emory Midtown Hospital, did these officers become aware the cameras had stopped working? There is limited publicly available information directly addressing whether the Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers in Zone 5, responsible for monitoring the Piedmont Park surveillance cameras upon their initial installation in 2010, became aware of the cameras' eventual non-functionality prior to the July 2021 incident involving Katherine Janness. Reports indicate that the cameras had ceased effective operation several months before the event due to obsolescence and lack of integration with the APD's Video Integration Center, but no records specify the exact point at which monitoring personnel noted this degradation.
Post-incident, APD Deputy Chief Michael O'Connor acknowledged during community engagements in August 2021 that the nine internal park cameras were obsolete, with only limited images recoverable, while emphasizing that APD-controlled street cameras surrounding the park remained operational. This suggests departmental awareness of the issue by that time, though it does not clarify prior knowledge among Zone 5 officers specifically. The cameras' management by the Department of Parks and Recreation, rather than direct APD oversight, may have contributed to any potential gaps in real-time awareness of maintenance failures. No evidence from official statements or investigations indicates deliberate oversight or failure to report the malfunction once identified.
Departments throughout metro Atlanta are turning to new video camera technology to keep people from running afoul of the law
www.police1.com
Atlanta's Piedmont Park is about to get a camera surveillance system, Channel 2 Action News reporter Diana Davis has learned.
www.wsbtv.com
By the end of 2021, Atlanta’s 3,300 surveillance camera network is expected to grow by roughly 250 cameras.
www.atlantamagazine.com
