Police Department announces launch of surveillance camera-sharing program

Update: Reporter Lizz Fiedler talked with the department today about SafeCam, and learned the practice isnt known to exist elsewhere in the country. That’s right, folks, Philadelphia is leading progress.

Original report: Here’s your chance to take a more active role in fighting crime in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Police Department is ready to unveil a public partnership opportunity: SafeCam. The initiative will allow residents and businesses to register their private surveillance cameras with the department to get more eyes on the street.

 

If you register your camera with the department and a crime occurs nearby, officers will be able to reach out to you to make the footage available. The department will know where the cameras are, but won’t be able to monitor them through SafeCam.

When one of those cameras catches something relevant, police can use that in their investigation, and possibly post it to the department’s YouTube channel, which currently has more than 100 surveillance videos.

Want to register your camera? The department has all the guidelines here. You can delete your registration any time.