ATLANTA — An ordinance in the Atlanta City council would require gas station owners to have constant video surveillance at gas pumps in an effort to fight crime.
Gas stations and convenience stores have been scenes of all types of crime -- from thefts to homicides. In some instances, surveillance cameras capture images of them in the act.
But not often enough, said city councilwoman Natalyn Archibong. According to her, her niece was the victim of an attempted carjacking at a gas station.
Archibong has introduced an ordinance that would require stores selling gasoline to mount cameras that would capture video of every fuel pump, every moment the store is open – and tie the requirement to their city-issued business licenses.
"I want to be sure that we have given incentives to our operators of gas stations to maximize this opportunity to keep our citizens safe," Archibong told 11Alive News.
The ordinance would not only require cameras trained on every fuel pump, would would also require backup capability, potentially costly to small business owners.
Archibong said she’s open to feedback from convenience store owners in exploring ways to make new camera systems affordable – before her ordinance gets a vote the city council.
"This is not free," agree Archibong. "But customers want to have a safe transaction when we deal with those stations. How do we make that happen? It's something in the toolbox that I think will help."