PERRY, Ga. — The City of Perry is working with some other agencies to install street security cameras around town.
Perry's city manager Lee Gilmour says talks of security cameras started as a countywide proposal.
"A proposal about the cities and the county and the district attorney getting together and establishing a series of camera stations located countywide," Gilmour said.
Conversations pushed the city to look closer to home.
"That got us thinking about what we need to do with the city not only for street protection cameras but also for our facilities like our buildings and our parks,” he explained.
Now, Perry has approved cameras in first priority high profile locations like the city's event center and its Creekwood park, areas they say see larger crowds. Gilmour says Interim police Chief Alan Everidge played a big part in assessing the need.
"We've looked at our facilities in the city. Some of them had cameras juts like most businesses do today, security cameras. Some were old and antiquated, not up to date, some didn't have any where our areas continued to grow," the chief explained.
Everidge says with any growth comes crime, but they want to be ahead of it.
"What we want to do is in case somebody did do something we have access to view that. This is not a way to monitor people, this is a way to deter crime and catch criminals," he continued.
Everidge says cameras have helped catch crimes in the past and this is an extra effort to make sure nothing is overlooked.
"We have looked with the county and the other two cities to try to come up with the best way to keep our community safe. What should be good for Warner Robins should be good for Perry and vice versa,” he said.
The county will pay for cameras that will be used for street traffic control. The already approved cameras at Monday’s work session will be paid for by the city. Those cameras will cost $13,000 and will be installed over the next two to three weeks.