DeKalb County, GA — The DeKalb County Police Department is asking businesses and residents to list their private security cameras in a registry.

The Connect DeKalb County Initiative gives private residents and business owners the ability to register their cameras in an online portal that is only accessible by DeKalb Police to create a map of the locations of private cameras, according to a press release.

Participating in the program will allow the police department to request permission to obtain video footage that could be related to an incident. Participants choose between two levels of camera integration:

– Level One: Participants register their cameras with DKPD which enables investigators to know a camera is present at a location and easily request video evidence should an incident occur.

– Level Two: Participants can voluntarily integrate their camera system, allowing DKPD direct access to the camera feed. Integration is opt-in and subscription-based, which allows 24-hour access to recorded footage/real time streaming.

Interested parties are encouraged to visit connectdekalbcounty.org to learn more and register their cameras. For more information, call 770-724-7435.

In other public safety news, the Atlanta Police Department will host its Teen Citzen’s Academy this summer. The APD Teen Citizen’s Academy educates young people in the operations and practices of the Atlanta Police Department, according to an announcement from APD.

The program gives high school students an inside look at law enforcement, and they can experience what it’s like to respond to a scene as a police officer.

Two sessions of the Teen Academy will be offered from June 5-9 and July 17-21. Instruction will be given both in class and on field trips. Class topics may include a narcotics presentation, a K9 presentation, use of force, firearms safety, gang activity, a traffic stop presentation, SWAT team presentation, a tour of the 911 center, and a tour of the Fulton County Jail.

Teens can only register for one session and must write a 250-word essay explaining why they would like to participate. To apply, contact Elizabeth Espy, director of community engagement, at [email protected] or 404-546-2531.