The Richardson Police Department is seeking video footage from residents and businesses to help solve crimes.
Police would not have direct access to the cameras, the department stated in an email announcement
The request comes ahead of the holiday season, when many residents might decide to take an out-of-town vacation.
Anyone planning to buy a home or business video surveillance system before taking a holiday vacation ight consider registering it with the Richardson Police Department’s Video Crime Watch Program.
The department’s video program has been around since 2013 and has more than 600 participants.
Anyone enrolled in the program can be contacted by police if an incident occurs in their area and might have captured footage of a crime.
Additionally, no user credentials are collected. Law enforecement does not access cameras and cannot pull images or audio, the department stated.
Instead, the list of participants serves as a database of residents who might be of service and willing to share footage as needed.
If a crime is committed, police can use the database to determine whether any participating residents or businesses were nearby and might have caught evidence on their systems.
More details and information on registration are available here.
