Lakewood, NJ – Hoping to provide greater safety and service to area residents, the Lakewood Police Department is launching a new initiative that would have the local community partnering with law enforcement in an ongoing effort to deter and fight crime.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Launched today, the Register Every Camera program would have Lakewood residents and businesses voluntarily registering their video surveillance equipment with the local police department. The locations of all registered cameras would be stored in a secure database, with footage from those devices potentially used by police in future incidents.
“Every time there is an investigation, no matter how big or small, it always comes down to who has video cameras,” Lieutenant Gregory Staffordsmith of the Lakewood Police Department told VIN News. “Many businesses and residences have cameras which have led us to identifying a lot of suspects.”
While privately owned video surveillance cameras have been helpful to police, locating those systems can often be a time-consuming task.
“Trying to find the person responsible and getting permission to use the footage has always been the difficult part,” noted Staffordsmith. “By taking all the information and loading it into our database we can generate a map of where those cameras are located which can streamline the process and expedite our investigations.”
In addition to showing incidents as they occur, the ability to access private security cameras brings with it another benefit.
“Very often when a crime is committed, the most valuable information is what happened leading up to and away from the scene,” said Staffordsmith.
There were no specific incidents or crime sprees that prompted the REC initiative, according to Staffordsmith.
“We are always looking for new ways to serve the community better,” said Staffordsmith. “This is just one of the ways of increasing our partnership with the community and our quality of service.”
The program is completely voluntary and those who register their cameras will receive a window decal indicating their participation, something Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer describe as an effective crime deterrent. Meyer stressed that police would not be monitoring any private security systems and would only access footage from those cameras in the case of a possible investigation.
Residents and businesses can register their security cameras online at www.lakewoodpolicenj.com or in person at the front window of the Lakewood Police Department at 231 Third Street.
Helpful or Orwellian?