Mayor Kasim Reed and Atlanta University Center Celebrate 35 New Security Cameras on Campus

​ATLANTA – Mayor Kasim Reed announced today that the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Consortium Council of Presidents invested more than $700,000 to strategically install 35 security cameras and license plate readers throughout the Atlanta University Center campus community. Mayor Reed joined University Community Development Corporation Interim Executive Director Rita Gibson, Morehouse College President Dr. John Wilson Jr., Atlanta Police Department Chief Erika Shields, Atlanta Police Foundation President and CEO Dave Wilkinson and Atlanta City Councilmember Cleta Winslow for an event celebrating the new cameras.
“Public safety is the number one priority of my Administration, and I am committed to working with our business leaders, colleges and universities and neighborhoods to implement smart, effective strategies to combat crime,” said Mayor Reed.  “Thanks to our wonderful Atlanta University Center partners, we are making another significant investment in technology with the installation of the 35 security cameras on the AUC campus which will assist our officers in preventing and reducing crime.”

Working through the University Community Development Corporation, a community development arm of the AUC, Presidents Dr. John Wilson, Dr. Ronald Johnson, Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, and Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell forged a partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation and the Atlanta Police Department to install the 35 security cameras throughout the AUC. The cameras will be monitored by AUC police at their respective schools, as well as in APD’s Loudermilk Video Integration Center, as part of the Operation Shield program.
“The installation of the security cameras is a part of the Westside Security Plan, a collaborative effort between the Atlanta Police Foundation and Atlanta Police Department which has already deployed 100 cameras to help deter and solve crimes in West Atlanta neighborhoods,” said Chief Erika Shields. “The mission of the Atlanta Police Department is to create a safer Atlanta by reducing crime, ensure the safety of our citizens and build trust in partnership with our community, and I believe we will accomplish all of these objectives with this new partnership with APD and the AUC.”
The City of Atlanta, Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Police Foundation invested $300,000 to install the cameras and each AUC institution including Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College contributed an additional $100,000 towards the initiative.
“The City of Atlanta under the leadership of Mayor Kasim Reed continues to be a model partner with our community. This effort is an example of how government and community can work together for the good of all,” said Dr. John Silvanus Wilson, President of Morehouse College and Chair of the Council of Presidents. “Our partnership positions the Atlanta University Center as a safer environment not only for our students but for those who work and live on our campuses and in our neighboring communities.”
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About the Atlanta University Center Consortium 

Comprised of four member institutions – Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College – the Atlanta University Center Consortium is the world’s oldest association of historically Black colleges and universities. A vibrant intellectual community with a long tradition of scholarship, service and community engagement, AUC Consortium Inc. is a nonprofit organization that operates on behalf of its members to advance each institution’s mission and strategic goals by fostering collaboration, managing centerwide initiatives, offering services that benefit our students and community, and leveraging our shared resources. 
For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit http://www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @CityofAtlanta. Follow Mayor Reed on Facebook and Twitter @Kasim Reed