MOULTRIE, Ga. — A suspect was in custody less than 24 hours after a Moultrie pharmacy was robbed Jan. 3. The reason? The robbery was caught on store video.

A man entered a Moultrie convenience store Jan. 8, then returned with his face covered and brandishing a gun. Police don’t have him in custody, but they pretty much know who they’re looking for. The reason? Both times he entered the store, he was caught on video.

With two incidents just this month showing the value of maintaining video cameras at local stores, the Moultrie City Council is toughening an existing ordinance requiring them.

The council voted Tuesday night to require owners of establishments selling alcohol for off-premises consumption to have video systems of 720-pixel resolution, to ensure at least one camera covers the parking lot and to retain the recordings for a minimum of 720 hours (30 days).

“We can’t solve the crimes without the video,” City Manager Pete Dillard told councilmembers, “and sometimes we can’t solve them with the video, but it’s the best weapon we have.”

Mayor Bill McIntosh asked if current holders of alcohol licenses would be grandfathered in, but city attorney Mickey Waller said no. The video camera requirement was already a part of the alcohol ordinance, Waller said, and these changes simply established a minimum resolution and minimum time to keep the recordings.

Councilman Daniel Dunn moved approval of the ordinance change, seconded by Councilwoman Angela Castellow. The vote was unanimous among the councilmembers who were there; Councilwoman Wilma Hadley was absent.

In other action Tuesday, the council:

• Reappointed Ferrell Ruis, Kevin Branch and Preston Jimmerson to the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission Board.

• Tabled for the fourth time a zoning request from Thomasville Investment Properties. The developer wants the city to rezone 3.5 acres at 1925 S. Main St. from Residential-Planned Use Development to commercial, but the city council wanted more details about what it planned to do with the land. Scheduling conflicts have prevented representatives of the developer from being at the subsequent city council meetings. City Attorney Mickey Waller has repeatedly expressed concerns about tabling the decision over and over, and City Manager Pete Dillard suggested the council reject the request if it cannot get the information it wants at the next meeting, Feb. 6. Waller added the company can withdraw the request and resubmit it at any time, but if the council rejects it, the company has to wait six months before it can reapply.

• Approved first and second readings of a request to rezone 1.85 acres at 841 E. Central Ave. Dalia Vazquez requested the change from C-3 (Commercial District) to R-3 (Multi-Family Residential District).

• Approved a resolution recognizing April 22-28 as Georgia Cities Week in Moultrie.

• Voted to use the Georgia Municipal Association to provide investment management services for the city’s new retirement plan. The city’s existing pension plan will remain with Allen Mooney Barnes in Thomasville, but city councilmen and staff said GMA’s proposal would save employees about $160 per year over AMB’s proposal. Council also decided to review performance of the fund on an annual basis and consider changing the provider based on what they see then.