Caught on Camera: Drug Deal Gone Wrong

In a recent bust, a man from Colbert found himself in hot water after police caught him selling drugs on Nellie B Avenue in east Athens. The whole thing went down because of a new high-tech setup at the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. This place, called the Real Time Crime Center, lets cops keep an eye on things happening right now using cameras and license plate readers all over the city. The man, who is 37 years old, had no idea he was being watched. An officer saw the whole deal go down on the cameras and sent three other officers to the scene. When the cops showed up, they told the man he was under arrest. But he wasn't having it. He started fighting back, making it hard for the officers to put handcuffs on him. One of the officers, Brooklynn Dowdie, had to use her stun gun to get the situation under control. Even after he was handcuffed, the man kept struggling, but the officers managed to overpower him. They found a bunch of stuff on him, including keys, a pocket knife, two iPhones, a lot of cash, some marijuana, 35 oxycodone pills, and a tablet of methadone. The man was charged with drug violations and obstruction. He got out of jail two days later after posting a $6, 000 bond. This whole incident shows how technology is changing the way police do their job. It also raises questions about privacy and how much surveillance is too much.