Grice Connect first reported on the Statesboro Police Department's encouragement for businesses and apartment complexes to implement the Fusus camera video sharing system in January 2023.
Fusus continues to prove to be a very valuable crime-fighting tool used by the Statesboro Police Department in conjunction with multiple partnering businesses to resolve cases and respond to public disturbances more quickly and efficiently.
One recent measure of success for Fusus can be seen in regards to the Morris Heights Apartment Complex. Morris Heights had Fusus installed in June 2023 to help resolve a recent string of shootings and drug crimes.
Recent History on the Morris Heights Apartment Complex
The Statesboro Police Department had been experiencing consistent reports of disturbances at Morris Heights for nearly 40 years.
Around April 2023, when some urban renewal began taking place on Pine Street, several low income residences were knocked down, displacing and causing the relocation of several Pine Street residents to Morris Heights. After the influx of these Pine Street residents to Morris Heights, an unexpected drug conflict arose among a few of the new and old drug distributors in the area.
The conflict eventually spilled into gunfire where the drug distributors began shooting at each other, which was an unforeseen eruption of violence to the Statesboro Police Department at the time.
The conflict lasted for a period of three weeks, when the Statesboro Police Department recorded approximately one shooting per week.
Fusus success at Morris Heights
In response to this rising frequency of gun violence at Morris Heights, The Statesboro Police Department quickly been working to identify the individuals involved in the shootings.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to gain perpetrator leads, as several Morris Heights residents felt unable to cooperate safely with the law enforcement, due to the residents being members of the Morris Heights community.
Officer patrols were increased to help maximize safety in the Morris Heights community. However, it was ultimately the Fusus camera system which helped minimize and nearly eradicate the erupting violence at Morris Heights within the last few months.
"With our implementation of the Fusus system within the Morris Heights community, acts of violence have not been reported since the system was implemented. Additionally, our calls for service to Morris Heights have significantly dropped since its implementation," said Mike Broadhead, Statesboro Police Chief.
"Councilwoman Paulette Chavers was highly instrumental in convincing the ownership of that property to move ahead with the camera system," he added. "The company owners at Morris Heights put in several new cameras and a license plate reader at the front gate, which have been successful measures in increasing the general safety of the Morris Heights community. Fusus has also aided the Statesboro Police Department in identifying and arresting individuals potentially involved in the Morris Heights shootings."
All encouraged to participate
The no cost Fusus partnership is a great aid to community policing.
"Fusus is simply a video sharing system. It allows an officer to respond more efficiently to disturbances, due to the consensual viewing and sharing of a business or apartment complex cameras. For instance, if a convenience store gets robbed and the owner has some of its cameras shared on the Fusus system with the police department, the owner can call the police, and the officer can pull up the cameras to respond to and resolve the issue quicker. Fusus is a huge leap forward in terms of giving the police department access to video which was previously privately held and difficult to secure," said Chief Broadhead.
"There is no cost to the individual business to sign up for Fusus program. We encourage all local businesses, stores, and community organizations to participate in Fusus to make our Fusus network coverage more widespread. Companies and owners continue to own their video footage and cameras. The law enforcement simply has access to shared relevant cameras in times of crisis to resolve disturbances more quickly and efficiently."
Fusus currently in use at 45 Statesboro businesses
"Fusus is now in approximately 45 locations across the City of Statesboro, with more than 1,000 cameras that we now have access to. Councilwoman Paulette Chavers deserves credit for working with the ownership company at Morris Heights to have Fusus installed," said Chief Broadhead. "Additionally, Edward Smart, a security consultant at Morris Heights, deserves credit for securing the contractor to install the cameras at Morris Heights in a timely fashion. The Statesboro Police Department would like to thank the Fusus team in Atlanta, as well as the City Council of Statesboro for budgeting and paying for the FUSUS system for our community."
How Fusus works
Fusus is a software which is paired to your existing video system. After Fusus is paired with your system, it gives law enforcement the ability to access your cameras and view your business’s most frequented areas. This is extremely important to law enforcement as it reduces the time for cases to be solved. In high-risk situations, it helps to identify and apprehend perpetrators more quickly and in conflicting witness testimony situations, it clarifies the grey areas quicker.
Each business can restrict the use of its cameras that surveil private and high security areas. The SPD is most concerned with shared community areas, particularly cameras on which external areas and roadways can be seen.
Fusus is an Atlanta-based company which keeps Law Enforcement Officers, Security Personnel, and the Communities they protect safer. They enable public safety personnel to function more efficiently and with improved operational intelligence, by creating a common operating picture that emphasizes officer, citizen, and community safety.
For more information about the Fusus system or its enrollment process, contact Operations Bureau Captain at Statesboro Police Department, Captain Jared Akins, at (912) 531-8854. for more support.
Grice Connect upgraded our security system and worked with Captain Akins to set up the Fusus system at our offices in downtown Statesboro. We have seen a significant decrease in suspicious activity and enhanced police response since the installation. We encourage all Statesboro businesses to do your part in helping support our men and women in Blue by installing this system in your business.