Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Atlanta Courthouse Murders - Questions About Marta
Link
Brian Nichols appeared before a Cobb county judge today from a cell at the jail where he is being held on the original rape charge. He was shackled and surrounded by 19 officers. He is being held without bond. Additional charges on his bloody rampage will be filed soon.
Many in the community are seeking questions about his 26 hour flight from justice. Of particular concern are questions surrounding the failure to search the parking garage where the green Honda had been ditched just moments after the carjacking of Don O'Briants and questions about why no one spotted him in or around the Marta stations downtown and later at Lenox Mall. A MARTA spokesman said that although the investigators are sure he used the rail system to get to Buckhead, no images of him have been noted in the surveillance footage.
It is my belief that many of the MARTA cameras may not be in working condition and that it will be shown that, just as in the video surveillance at the courthouse, no one was live-monitoring the video feeds. I also believe that MARTA may not have been included in the BOLO that was posted for him. I also believe that he was hiding in plain sight at the Lenox Square and/or Phipps Plaza malls until closing (that's why his next known crime occured at 10:40), and I seriously question whether any malls were put on security alert by the Atlanta Police Department.
Many people see cameras at public locations and are lulled into a false sense of security, believing that this somehow makes them safer. The the police will never catch a crime in progress. If no one is monitoring these cameras, then there is no way for officers to "protect and serve;" all they are able to do is investigate and apologize. Citizens beware, you are definitely on your own.
Many in the community are seeking questions about his 26 hour flight from justice. Of particular concern are questions surrounding the failure to search the parking garage where the green Honda had been ditched just moments after the carjacking of Don O'Briants and questions about why no one spotted him in or around the Marta stations downtown and later at Lenox Mall. A MARTA spokesman said that although the investigators are sure he used the rail system to get to Buckhead, no images of him have been noted in the surveillance footage.
It is my belief that many of the MARTA cameras may not be in working condition and that it will be shown that, just as in the video surveillance at the courthouse, no one was live-monitoring the video feeds. I also believe that MARTA may not have been included in the BOLO that was posted for him. I also believe that he was hiding in plain sight at the Lenox Square and/or Phipps Plaza malls until closing (that's why his next known crime occured at 10:40), and I seriously question whether any malls were put on security alert by the Atlanta Police Department.
Many people see cameras at public locations and are lulled into a false sense of security, believing that this somehow makes them safer. The the police will never catch a crime in progress. If no one is monitoring these cameras, then there is no way for officers to "protect and serve;" all they are able to do is investigate and apologize. Citizens beware, you are definitely on your own.
