An article in The Baltimore Sun revealed that the Baltimore County Council wants more businesses and homeowners to purchase CCTV surveillance equipment.
"The bill would create a voluntary private security camera registry for property owners with devices pointed toward a public right-of-way, according to the proposal. The program would map where cameras are located to help detectives identify possible security footage in areas where crimes happened."
How do cities and towns expand police cam-share programs? By offering to waive permitting fees, that’s how.
That is what makes the Baltimore County Council’s Bill unique from other police cam-share programs.
"The County will waive the alarm permit fee the installation of a new alarm system that includes private security or surveillance cameras or the upgrade of a current alarm system that includes such cameras."
"Under the proposal the county would waive alarm permitting fees for new alarm system installations — which start as low as $34 for homes and $113 for commercial buildings — that include private security or surveillance cameras if the owner signs up for the registry. The county would also waive fees for any updates to current alarm systems that include those cameras."
Police SCRAM to become "Silent Partners" in neighborhood surveillance
Talk about ironic, naming a police cam-share program SCRAM is exactly where a person’s privacy will go when neighbors voluntarily use CCTV cameras to monitor everyone.
The Sun also mentioned that police in three Rhode Island towns have created cam-share programs but not one of them has offered residents discounts to monitor their neighbors.
An article in the Dunwood Crier reveals how police in Dunwoody, Georgia want businesses and residents to use license plate readers and CCTV surveillance cameras on their neighbors.
"The Dunwoody Police Department has launched an initiative to make security cameras and license plate readers more efficient tools to solve and prevent crime."
"The Dunwoody Police Department already uses about 20 fixed ALPRs in high-traffic areas to capture images of license plates and to identify stolen vehicles, stolen tags and wanted suspects. Several businesses, apartment complexes and neighborhood groups have installed their own LPRs."