Calls for more cameras, better lighting after Piedmont Park murder

Call for more security at Piedmont Park

The death of Katie Janness has created concern in the Midtown community about a lack of security at Piedmont Park. People are concerned the 187-acre park only has nine cameras. Those security concerned were voiced in front of an Atlanta City Council meeting on Monday.

ATLANTA - Many residents are flooding an Atlanta City Council woman's office with phone calls and emails following the murder of a woman and her dog in Piedmont Park.

Councilmember Jennifer Ide's Chief of Staff said the office has been inundated with correspondence regarding the safety and lighting at the city's crown jewel.

"This park is the heart of the city. This is Atlanta's playground. It's Atlanta's center. It's what brings everybody together," Lance Orchid commented. "It has shaken people to their core. There has been a significantly high outreach of residents who live around here, as well as residents in adjacent neighborhoods. And also leadership in the area and leadership at the high school."

City leaders call for increased security at Atlanta parks

The Atlanta City Council has set in motion a plan to provide improvements to security at all city parks. This comes after two murders at Atlanta parks.

One of the issues many constituents are raising, in addition to much-needed surveillance cameras, is the lack of lights in the nearly 200-acre park.

Katherine Janness with her fiancé's 3-year-old pit bull Bowie (Family photo)

The councilwoman was getting complaints before Katie Janness and her dog were killed.

"One of the things council member Ide was working on with all neighborhoods was an inventory to ask, where neighborhood associations felt like we needed more lightening. Piedmont Park was one of the places that came back," Mr. Orchid confirmed.

The chief of staff said the councilwoman and the mayor are committed to filling security gaps, like the nine outdated surveillance cameras that are still in the park.

"There were broken cameras that no one apparently knew about. There is a significant concern about that. There is no doubt we need to add cameras to this area," Orchid concluded.

Police release video of possible witness in Piedmont Park murder

The Atlanta Police Department released new video showing potential witnesses who were near Piedmont Park the night of the brutal murder of Katherine Janness and her partner's dog Bowie.

Meanwhile, Atlanta police still want to talk to several people who surveillance cameras captured in the vicinity in the early morning hours of July 28.

Anyone with information that leads to a conviction could be eligible for a $20,000 reward in the case.

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