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topicnews · September 24, 2024

Can video surveillance help Birmingham police solve the mass shooting in Five Points South?

Can video surveillance help Birmingham police solve the mass shooting in Five Points South?

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said increasing video surveillance across the city remains a high priority and that the cameras could play a role in solving the mass murder that left four people dead in Five Points South on Sept. 21.

Finding, arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators of the Five Points South massacre is currently the city’s top priority, he said. He did not reveal what role the video footage plays in the investigation.

“I can tell you that much of our success in solving cases this year has been due to the cameras connected to our Real Time Crime Center,” Woodfin said today.

Woodfin declined to comment on how many cameras were aimed at the mass shooting outside Hush Bar in Five Points South, but said there were cameras in the area.

“There are cameras in this area,” he said. “There are cameras all over the city. We will continue to expand them.”

He thanked U.S. Senator Katie Britt for her call on Monday offering her condolences and help after the shooting. She was instrumental in the city receiving grants from the U.S. Department of Justice to improve video surveillance.

“She is literally committed to representing all Alabama residents and I want to thank her publicly for that. She puts any partisanship aside and is on the ground with us to solve this problem and provide resources,” Woodfin said.

“She helped us get a Department of Justice grant of over $4 million that will allow us to purchase more technology for our Real Time Crime Center, install more cameras and collect more shell casings.”

Expanding the reach of the Real Time Crime Center through video surveillance remains a priority.

“What we can say is that we are continuing to build out our intelligence infrastructure,” Woodfin said.

“This includes license plate readers as well as additional cameras throughout the city. Our partnership with Alabama Power has enabled us to install and expand additional cameras throughout the city.”

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