If you plan to purchase a home or business video surveillance system prior to taking a holiday vacation, consider registering your system with the Richardson Police Department’s Video Crime Watch Program. Since 2013, the program has enabled participants, which now number more than 600, to share with the police department that their property has security cameras. Following an incident, RPD may contact enrolled participants willing to share footage that may help solve a crime. Residents and businesses take part by signing up online.
Note that the program does not access cameras—it can’t pull video, images or audio. No user credentials are collected and no direct access is given to law enforcement. Instead, the database serves as a list of residents who might be of service and willing to share footage as needed. If a crime is committed, police may use the database to determine if any participating residents or businesses were nearby and might have caught evidence on their systems.
Website: www.cor.net/videocrimewatch.
