DeKalb County commissioners are fast-tracking legislation to tweak the new video surveillance requirements, changes that should bring more gas stations and convenience stores into compliance.
For the most part, the proposed changes from Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, who introduced the original legislation, are technical and don’t fundamentally alter the law’s intent. But among the changes introduced this week is new language clarifying police won’t seize footage without a warrant, something a civil rights group had challenged as unconstitutional.
Gas stations and convenience stores in DeKalb are the sites of a disproportionate amount of violent crimes in the county, and the regulations requiring those businesses to install high-quality video surveillance systems were designed to serve as a deterrent.
DeKalb County was the first in the Atlanta-area to adopt such an ordinance. The law went into effect last summer, at which point businesses were required to install cameras covering entrances and exits, parking lots, cash registers, all gas pumps and any loading docks. They’re required to keep the footage on hand for 60 days.
As of Jan. 24, just 69 of 213 businesses had complied, county officials said.
What code inspectors have found is that many of the non-compliant businesses have video surveillance systems, albeit ones that don’t conform with the regulation’s technical requirements. Many of the larger corporate gas stations have aerial cameras that capture multiple gas pumps. And many lack 60-day storage capabilities.
The aerial cameras provide the same type of high-quality footage that was the law’s intent, Cochran-Johnson said. One of the proposed changes would be to allow those types of cameras.
Additionally, she’s proposing lowering the storage requirements to 30 days.
“We do believe that that is ample time if a crime has occurred for the requesting of footage,” Cochran-Johnson told commissioners Tuesday.
With these changes, it would bring about 80% of businesses into compliance, she said.
Businesses currently have until July 1 to comply, thanks to an extension from the county.
The other change proposed is more substantive.
Originally, the law required businesses to turn over footage to police within 72 hours of a request.
The Institute for Justice, a civil rights law firm based in Virginia, objected to that requirement in a letter to DeKalb officials last October. The group had threatened a legal challenge over the issue of warrantless seizures.
Deputy County Terry Phillips told commissioners Tuesday that staff recommend changing the ordinance language to clarify that business owners may, but are not required to, voluntarily share footage if asked by police.
Commissioners are expected to approve the changes next week.
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