TUCKER, GA — The Tucker City Council is considering whether to continue using Flock surveillance cameras as questions arise about their cost and effectiveness in fighting crime.
The city currently has 15 Flock cameras, which were first installed in 2019 and cost taxpayers approximately $37,000 annually.
Because Tucker does not have its own police department, data collected by the cameras is sent directly to the DeKalb County Police Department.
Councilwoman Alexis Weaver has raised concerns about whether the cameras are worth the annual expense, questioning their impact on solving crimes.
“The use of cameras has gone up exponentially and the change in crime resolution has not,” Weaver said.
Mayor Ann Lerner brought the issue before the council, pointing to similar discussions taking place in other metro Atlanta communities.
“Everybody is having these conversations, South Fulton just had a town hall last week. Chamblee, Doraville, everybody, and I know some people are like ‘we don’t want to talk about this.’ And I was like ‘we’re going to talk about it,’” Lerner said.
According to Lerner, residents initially supported the cameras when they were installed in 2019. She hopes to hold additional discussions with the community about their future.
While council members consider whether to renew the city’s Flock camera contract, Tucker has adopted a policy preventing all city employees from accessing camera data.
The council has not yet made a final decision on whether to keep the cameras.
WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons & Keith Cromwell contributed to this story.