Longmont Police Partner With Surveillance Camera Owners To Stop Crime
LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - Local law enforcement agencies are hoping to use home surveillance systems to their advantage.
Longmont police are the second department to form a community partnership with residents and businesses that have cameras on their property.
Commander Joel Post with explains how it works.
"What we are trying to do is get a registration list, so if we have a crime in a certain area we know right away whose house or whose business to go to that has cameras set up," he said.
Following crime police detectives will often canvas neighborhoods looking for cameras.
Post says knowing ahead of time where they are located could save valuable time during an investigation.
Longmont resident Nicholas Malcou says if it can help, he's all for it with one restriction.
"As long as it doesn't invade on anyone's privacy or anything like that," Malcou said.
Post says it is important for home and business owners to understand there is no tapping into your system and registering is voluntary.
"We are not going to be monitoring these cameras from the police department or ever." Post said.
Several agencies across the country have set up similar registries. The El Paso County Sheriff's office announced the launch of their program earlier this month.
Karen Morfitt joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2013. She covers a variety of stories in and around the Denver metro area. Connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @karenmorfitt or email her tips.