New Jersey County Fights Crime with Private Surveillance Cameras

New Jersey County Fights Crime with Private Surveillance Cameras

Monmouth County has launched their crime fighting initiative called Operation Watch Dog.

Law enforcement in Monmouth County, New Jersey are teaming up with residents and business owners to create a network of surveillance cameras to enhance security around the county and help fight crime.

The initiative, called Operation Watch Dog, works like this: Law enforcement are alerted about crime in a certain area of the county and then are dispatched, per usual, but with the Operation Watch Dog, law enforcement are also able to check the area on a map and see which cameras are registered close to the scene of the crime. This alerts officers and lets them know where in the area they should go to view video surveillance footage.

"How many times have you seen on social media that someone has some type of footage or some type of still picture from a video doorbell of someone stealing packages or someone creating vandalism," Monmouth County Sheriff Shan Golden said to a local news station. "Certainly this is what this is all about. Tell the officer, so instead of him going knocking door to door saying, "Hey do you have something we can view?' it is real-time information."

Through the Operation Watch Dog registry, Law enforcement say they can expedite criminal investigations, especially since it is a countywide program.

The Sheriff's Office is careful to explain that this is not a real-time monitoring program. The authorities will only tap into video surveillance streams if they believe there is a crime captured by the camera. Also, the system is optional, county residents can decide if they want to be part of the program or not.

"It's a completely voluntary program," Andrew Calvo, assistant director of IT at Monmouth County Sheriff's Office said. "Police are not going to be monitoring or see your cameras on live video. It's only for a case of investigatory need. Even if there is a need for the camera, they are going to ask for your permission before they come on to your property or even review the video."

The county already has over 300 cameras registered in the program at 30 different addresses, which they say are mostly businesses.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • 12 Commercial Crime Sites to Do Your Research

    12 Commercial Crime Sites to Do Your Research

    Understanding crime statistics in your industry and area is crucial for making important decisions about your security budget. With so much information out there, how can you know which statistics to trust? Read Now

  • Boosting Safety and Efficiency

    Boosting Safety and Efficiency

    In alignment with the state of Mississippi’s mission of “Empowering Mississippi citizens to stay connected and engaged with their government,” Salient's CompleteView VMS is being installed throughout more than 150 state boards, commissions and agencies in order to ensure safety for thousands of constituents who access state services daily. Read Now

  • Live From GSX: Post-Show Review

    Live From GSX: Post-Show Review

    This year’s Live From GSX program was a rousing success! Again, we’d like to thank our partners, and IPVideo, for working with us and letting us broadcast their solutions to the industry. You can follow our Live From GSX 2023 page to keep up with post-show developments and announcements. And if you’re interested in working with us in 2024, please don’t hesitate to ask about our Live From programs for ISC West in March or next year’s GSX. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • People Say the Funniest Things

    People Say the Funniest Things

    By all accounts, GSX version 2023 was completely successful. Apparently, there were plenty of mix-ups with the airlines and getting aircraft from the East Coast into Big D. I am all ears when I am in a gathering of people. You never know when a nugget of information might flip out. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • 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. 3

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation. 3

  • 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. 3