West Parry Sound OPP has joined a growing number of Ontario police services implementing a CAMsafe program.
Constable Brandon Charlebois, the detachment’s Community Safety and Media Officer, says the program was originally developed by Belleville Police Service.
The program aims at creating a database of residential and commercial security cameras within a community that may act as a resource for police when investigating offences or crime.
“What community members can do is log into camsafe.ca and they can register any cameras that they have in their home or at their business or cottage. It doesn’t give police access to the cameras itself, and there’s no live feed or anything like that.” he says.
Charlebois says the database only gives police access to contact information. He says that way, if there is an incident nearby, officers can pull up a map of available security camera in the area and just start calling around and asking to look at footage, which saves a lot of time for investigators.
Charlebois says the program has been well received by officers, adding it acts as another tool for police to use in certain situations where they may have a larger investigation.
He says interested community members are only required to provide basic contact information and camera location but, can include more details if desired, such as direction the camera faces, footage retention details or screenshots of the camera view.
To learn more about the CAMSafe program and to register security cameras please visit https://camsafe.ca/