Snellville officials outline multi-pronged response after incidents at city park

Snellville city officials on Monday described a package of near-term and longer-term measures to increase safety at a downtown park after recent incidents involving groups of teenagers.

City staff said the immediate steps include bringing private security on weekend patrols, more visible police patrols, a lighting assessment of poorly lit areas, and a camera proposal that could include gunshot detection and analytics. "There are a handful of actions we are taking right now to increase security at the park," Matt said, summarizing staff proposals to the council.

The measures matter because residents told council members they felt uncertain after the incidents and wanted clearer communication about police response and when parks would be safe to re-enter. Council members and staff emphasized that these are operational steps under review, not formal ordinance changes.

What staff described

- Private security: Staff said a contracted security company could put an obvious supervisor vehicle at the park and provide on-foot patrols on busier weekend shifts. The company had not yet begun regular coverage at the time of the meeting.

- Police patrols: Staff said Snellville police have been conducting visible "cruise" patrols through the park and will continue periodic sweeps. Those patrols are intended to provide a visible deterrent and quick response capability.

- Cameras and gunshot detection: Staff discussed a proposal from the vendor Flock to install cameras and optional gunshot-detection sensors at the main park area and at the park on Snell Drive. The vendor’s equipment, staff said, can provide pan/tilt views and detect events such as yelling, fighting and broken glass; a gunshot sensor would trigger an immediate dispatch alert.

- Lighting assessment: The police department provided a lighting assessment of the park’s poorly lit areas; staff said lighting improvements will be considered but balanced against impacts on nearby residents.

- Technology and monitoring: Staff said they are researching software that can surface social-media posts or geofencing data about planned gatherings. Jan Harris and others reported that commonly available population/foot-traffic products (for example, PlacerAI and similar) are more useful for after-the-fact analysis than for reliable real-time alerts, and some real-time products would require dedicated monitoring staff.

Operational issues and community concerns

Parents and other residents told staff they wanted clearer on-scene communication during incidents — for example, an "all clear" message after police finish an incident — and better guidance on when to shelter in place or disperse. Staff said they will work on roles and responsibilities for situations that require temporarily closing the park.

Staff also discussed existing pool and park rules, noting that some youth events require adult supervision and that staff and police are developing after-action procedures and clearer public messaging.

Next steps

Staff said they will provide council a written proposal with camera locations, cost estimates and recommendations for signage and public messaging; they will also report back on the feasibility and price of social-media monitoring tools. No formal vote or ordinance change was requested or taken during this session.

Ending

Councilmembers expressed support for the mix of visible patrols, cameras and lighting studies while cautioning that technologies such as social-media monitoring may be costly and can require ongoing staff time. Staff said they will return with cost estimates and a recommendation for council consideration.