Washington State Police Department Recruit Private Surveillance Cameras to Fight Crime

Washington State Police Department Recruit Private Surveillance Cameras to Fight Crime

Renton Police are asking the public to register their surveillance cameras to increase the likelihood of solved crimes.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Dec 19, 2018

Surveillance images have helped investigators identify and capture crime suspects for years. Now, the Renton Police Department is asking residents to register their private surveillance cameras to help aid in the likelihood of solved crimes in the area.

The initiative, called Camera Registration Program, was launched last Thursday and already 40 homeowners and business owners have signed up. 

Sgt. Christy Mathrews told the local news station that the partnership was the idea of the department's Community Programs Division. Since surveillance footage is often obtained by officers going door-to-door, the division thought it wise to come up with a solution that helps officers know which door to knock on.

Now, the locations of homes and businesses that register with the program appear as blue dots on a satellite map of Renton. 

The program is purely volunteer-only and does not allow police officers to see images in real time. 

It simply lets investigators know a camera is in the area and that its owner is willing to cooperate with police officers. Those officers can then “log in from their cars and see there are three houses in this area, and the suspect fled this way, so maybe these three cameras will show something,” Mathews explained.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Collaboration Made Easy Using a Work Management Platform

    Effective collaboration between security operators, teams and other departments is critical to the smooth functioning of organizations. Yet, as organizations grow in complexity, it becomes more difficult for teams to coordinate with each other. This is compounded by staffing shortages, turnover and ineffective collaboration tools. Read Now

  • Creating a Safer World

    Managing and supporting locks and door hardware within a facility is a big responsibility. A building’s security needs to change over time as occupancy and use demands evolve, which can make it even more challenging. Read Now

  • Creating More Versatility

    Today, AI has become top of mind for most security professionals. It is the topic of conversation in the technology world and continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. Read Now

  • Report: 78 Percent of CISOs Seeing Significant Impact from AI-Powered Cyber Threats

    Darktrace recently unveiled its 2025 State of AI Cybersecurity report. The findings reveal that 78% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) surveyed say that AI-powered threats are having a significant impact on their organizations, a 5% increase1 from 2024. While an increasing number of CISOs report feeling a significant impact from AI threats, more than 60% now say that they are adequately prepared to defend against these threats, an increase of nearly 15% year-over-year. However, insufficient AI knowledge and skills and a shortage of personnel and talent continue to be listed as the two top inhibitors to a successful defense. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.