Police: Residents helping solve crimes by sharing security videos

Several dozen police and fire departments in Connecticut participate in the Ring Neighborhood Public Safety Service that allows authorities and the community to share information, photos and videos about crime and other safety issues.

But only a few like the West Hartford and Bristol police departments have video sharing programs that allow residents to voluntarily sign up to be placed on a list, indicating they are willing to provide their home or business video footage to investigators if a crime occurs in their neighborhood.

West Hartford has registered about 100 residences and businesses since launching its video sharing program about a year ago, Community Relations Division Commander Lt. Aaron Vafiades said.

The program is voluntary with people providing basic information such as their name and location and whether their camera faces the street. When people sign up, their name goes into a database that can be accessed by officers investigating a crime or incident, Vafiades said.

“They pull out the spreadsheet and contact the person in that area and ask them to review their own cameras,” Vafiades said. “If they want to share it, great.”

Bristol police have had a similar program for years, Lt. Geoffrey Lund said.

“It saves time going door to door,” he said.

The database is updated regularly for detectives, Lund said.

“It’s a good tool for them to use,” he said.

New Canaan police do not have a designated videosharing program, but created a special website for people to upload videos in the Jennifer Dulos disappearance case, Lt. Jason Ferraro said.

The disappearance drew international headlines when the mother of five vanished in May 2019. A neighbor’s security camera captured her returning home that morning after dropping off her children at school. The image of her vehicle captured the last activity before police believe she was killed by her estranged husband in her garage.

Other videos, including of what police believe was Fotis Dulos riding a bicycle that morning in the direction of his estranged wife’s home, were among the estimated more than 100 Ferraro said they received in the case.

“It was a massive undertaking” to view the videos to determine which contained evidence in the disappearance, he said.

Those videos and others from local school buses, state highway cameras and the Hartford public safety camera system built the case against Fotis Dulos, who died by suicide in January 2020 while facing murder, kidnapping and other charges in the case.

But even before the Dulos case, Ferraro said the department has for years knocked on doors seeking videos when incidents have occurred.

“In 25 years, I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say they didn’t want to help in an investigation when something happened in their neighborhood,” Ferraro

said.

West Hartford augments its video sharing program by participating in the Ring Neighbors app, which allows police to post requests for video or information and residents can share photos or videos and reports of potential crimes.

The program is primarily used by people who have a Ring camera security system, but anyone can sign up to check on incidents in their area or post information.

Dozens of Connecticut police and fire departments participate in the Ring Neighborhood Public Safety Service, but some use the program more than others, according to information on the company’s website.

Trumbull police have participated, but didn’t post anything in 2021. Danbury police requested information on a shooting that occurred in late December. Other Danbury posts have received more than 2,000 views.