04/25/17 — New cameras aid police in solving crime

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New cameras aid police in solving crime

By Ethan Smith
Published in News on April 25, 2017 9:49 AM

High atop power poles over areas the city has designated as having high concentrations of crime, newly-obtained panoramic cameras have for the past month or so been conducting around the clock surveillance.

The technology -- in place about two months now -- has already helped police to make arrests in a recent gun battle that unfolded on Olivia Lane.

The Tsunami-brand cameras were purchased for total of $28,000, Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West said.

They capture a 360 degree image of the area they record and each one is sheltered in a bulletproof casing.

There are five in all -- West declined to disclose the location of two, saying their locations were more "sensitive" than the others.

The other three are stationed on Olivia Lane near where it intersects with South Slocumb Street, on a lightpole facing Donel's Express Mart where East Elm Street and South Slocumb Street intersect, and at Olivia Lane and East End Circle.

West said police investigating the March 28 shoot-out on Olivia Lane were able to utilize footage from the cameras to track down the five people who they believe were responsible for the gun battle, each of whom have since been arrested.

"That's five arrests and two stolen guns off the street," West said.

In the gun battle, ShotSpotter -- the city's automatic gunshot detection system -- alerted officers to shots being fired on Olivia Lane.

A house at 1106-A Olivia Lane with two adults and a 2-year-old child inside at the time was struck in the cross fire, but nobody was injured.

West said investigators pulled footage from the three cameras in the area and were able to identify the two vehicles involved in the shooting.

The picture produced by the cameras was clear enough for West to pick out a dealer sticker from Pennington Automotive on North William Street on the back of a Ford Fusion with a 30-day tag that could not be read.

West said police went to the dealership and confirmed the recent sale of a 2012 Ford Focus to a suspect in the shooting.

Soon after, West said he passed that same vehicle on Royall Avenue and pulled it over at the Irish Inn. Police were able to make arrests in the case with the assistance of a few other officers.

Two of the other three people involved were picked up by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Team at an address on April Lane.

The cameras arrived at the department at the tail end of February and are relatively large, with four lenses protruding from the sides of a box.

Permission had to be granted by Duke Energy for the use of the light poles, West said.

West said the cameras will be moved around periodically as needed.

The original locations were decided on by wherever people congregate, or where there have been issues with gun violence or drugs, West said.

"We placed them where we determined there was a lot of activity," West said.

The cameras were purchased on a three-year lease, West said.

West said the footage is stored in the camera itself, and automatically begins recording over existing footage after a 28 day period.