Camera network may help stem tide of local crime

Capitalizing on the near ubiquity of security cameras at businesses and homes in metro Albuquerque, law enforcement agencies are asking owners of those cameras to help them catch and prosecute criminals.

And with rising crime on practically everybody’s mind these days, the proposal certainly has merit.

The Albuquerque Police Department and the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office are asking owners of security cameras to voluntarily — emphasis on voluntarily — sign up for the new Security Camera Analytical Network (SCAN) program. The idea is to create a map showing where those cameras are so that, should a crime occur in the immediate vicinity, investigators would quickly know where to check for video images that could shed light on the crime.

Although APD Chief Gorden Eden stresses that SCAN “is not a monitoring program,” businesses can allow — emphasis on can allow — operators at APD’s Real Time Crime Center to access those cameras remotely, assuming the video systems are compatible. Images would also be available to other law enforcement agencies, including the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico State Police.

Here’s one scenario in which the system could prove valuable: An APD officer gets dispatched to a late-night burglary in progress at a local store. Although the burglar is gone by the time the officer arrives, he can quickly find out what security cameras are in the area, what areas they cover and how to contact the cameras’ owner. The images could not only help identify the burglar, but also indicate how he got in, what he took and maybe even his escape route. The video could also be used in court to convict, or exonerate, the accused.

Homeowners and businesses can register their camera systems online at cabq.gov/scan. They’ll be asked to provide information about the make and model of the system, address of the home or business, number of cameras in the system, picture quality, retention time of the video and contact information.

Is there a hint of Big Brother in all this? Sure. Will local residents and businesses step up and provide information they already have, through technology they already own, so law enforcement can catch those who have helped the local crime rate soar? Anyone who has been a crime victim sure hopes so.