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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The deadline has been extended for gas and service stations in unincorporated Dekalb County to upgrade their surveillance video system.
Those businesses had until Jan. 1, 2024 to comply with the video surveillance ordinance or risk losing their business license, but that has changed.
On Thursday, a team of technicians on Candler Road were upgrading surveillance camera systems at several gas stations.
Under a new ordinance, all gas stations in unincorporated Dekalb County must have surveillance cameras installed at entries, exits and gas pumps.
The ordinance also requires cameras to meet a certain level of video quality.
DeKalb County leaders said the requirements are all to cut down on crime.
“So that we are able to capture clear footage because when there are acts of violence and crime, we want to be able to quickly apprehend the perpetrators,” Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, a DeKalb County commissioner, said.
Gas stations in unincorporated Dekalb County had until the previous deadline to comply with the surveillance camera ordinance or risk losing their business license, but now they have more time.
“We are not shutting down gas stations, we are actively working with each and every one,” Cochran-Johnson said.
Cochran-Johnson said right now, around 40% of those gas and service stations are in full compliance.
“These things take time because of the scheduling of equipment, the assessment to determine how best to position the cameras, so it is a process,” said Cochran-Johnson.
Cochran-Johnson said for now, there’s no date for when these businesses need to comply because the county is also reviewing its policy to make sure the ordinance makes it easy for all gas stations to be up to code.
“As we move forward we are looking at variances because we are not here to require you to redo what has been done simply because we have written legislation that has one particular requirement,” she said.
In October, a national, nonprofit law firm sent a letter to Dekalb County leaders, calling on them to repeal the video surveillance ordinance. Cochran-Johnson responded in October saying they are moving forward with the ordinance and stand prepared to defend it.
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