More than a half dozen MARTA buses equipped with security cameras have hit the road. MARTA hopes the new cameras on its buses will keep riders and drivers safe.
Under a new pilot program, MARTA installed surveillance cameras on the interior and exterior of seven buses.
Each bus has eight cameras on the inside and three on the outside. The system will help MARTA investigate crimes, consumer complaints and accident claims.
"Basically we have a camera system that can capture 360 degrees of all activity and audio inside the bus and we have video outside the bus as well," said Sgt. Ashton Greene of MARTA Police.
The $17 million camera system will soon expand to MARTA trains and mobility vans. The Department of Homeland Security is paying for about $9 million of that bill.
Riders can also watch what's recorded in real-time on a monitor behind the driver.
MARTA bus driver Janet Royston, who was attacked by riders on her route last year, said the cameras are a good first step, but they do little to protect people at the moment of a violent crime.
The upgrade does include a monitor so that riders can see themselves on camera.
"We expect that that's going to be a major deterrent for all kind of inappropriate activity that may take place on the bus," said Greene.
The program is expected to expand in November. By next June, all MARTA buses are expected to have the equipment.
A national atheist group says it will place its literature in cabins and lodges in Georgia's state parks after the governor's recent decision to allow Bibles in them.
A national atheist group says it will place its literature in cabins and lodges in Georgia's state parks after the governor's recent decision to allow Bibles in them.
Monday, May 20 2013 9:02 AM EDT2013-05-20 13:02:13 GMT
It's just hair—so why not share a little for a great cause? Monday marks the 7th Annual It's Just Hair Cut-a-Thon at the Taylor Brooks Salon in Alpharetta, and you can help!
It's just hair—so why not share a little for a great cause? Monday marks the 7th Annual It's Just Hair Cut-a-Thon at the Taylor Brooks Salon in Alpharetta, and you can help!
