More than 675 people have registered their security cameras with the Philadelphia Police Department’s SafeCam program since it began in 2011, and law enforcement officials are encouraging more to sign up. The program allows residents and business owners to register their security cameras with the department so officers know where to look for security footage that might aid in a criminal investigation.
Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey highlighted a city Commerce Department initiative that reimburses business owners 50 percent of installation costs up to $3,000 for putting in the cameras. “We need more businesses to get involved,” he said.
A police spokesman, said that the department lacked access to live security feeds from residents who sign up for SafeCam and that residents might decline to turn over footage even if they have signed up for the program. Ramsey said 4,300 cameras had been registered since 2011.
