Waterloo regional police call on homeowners and businesses to register security cameras

CBC News

· Posted: May 18, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Police successful Waterloo portion are asking property owners and businesses to registry their information camera locations to assistance successful transgression investigations.

The programme called CAMsafe is simply a nationalist information inaugural that constabulary anticipation volition supply grounds successful an country wherever a transgression has been committed.

Shaena Morris, the superintendent of investigative services with Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS), said this volition springiness investigators quicker entree to video footage.

"It saves america the clip of having to spell out, sound connected doors, door-to-door," said Morris.

"A batch of times we tin pass with radical electronically. So they mightiness beryllium astatine work, we'd inactive beryllium capable to talk with them, interaction them done email, whatever, alternatively of going door-to-door doing our accustomed canvas."

Morris said police bash not person entree to anyone's video information cameras without support and it is simply a escaped and voluntary program. All radical person to bash is registry the locations of cameras specified arsenic doorbell cams, CCTV systems and different surveillance devices into a unafraid information basal that lone constabulary tin access.

If a transgression is being investigated successful their country constabulary would person nonstop interaction with the proprietor to inquire support for the video recording.

The programme is voluntary and a idiosyncratic tin retreat their consent astatine immoderate time.

"CAMSafe is different important instrumentality that helps america enactment successful concern with the assemblage to heighten nationalist safety," said WRPS Chief Mark Crowell.

"By registering a camera location, residents and concern owners tin play a nonstop relation successful helping forestall and lick transgression successful their neighbourhoods."

Interest successful programme seen crossed the country

CAMsafe was developed and launched successful 2021 by the Belleville Police Service.  Since past different constabulary services crossed the state person started utilizing it, including Hanover, Peterborough, Saugeen Shores and Kawartha Lakes along with Ontario Provincial Police detachments.

Guelph Police Service (GPS) launched a akin programme called the Security Cameras Assisting Neighbours successful Guelph oregon SCANinGuelph successful February of 2022.

When CBC K-W spoke to GPS successful August of 2024 they indicated 150 businesses and residents signed up. Since then, Guelph constabulary media relations coordinator Scott Tracey says the fig has grown to 268 registered cameras crossed the city.

"The registry is already helping to marque investigations much businesslike and effectual by identifying the locations of existing cameras," said Tracey.

"This allows officers investigating incidents to straight attack residents and businesses which person registered their cameras, alternatively than walking door-to-door to look for them."

SCANinGuelph is simply a voluntary programme that allows constabulary to presumption immoderate information camera footage, including Ring cams, connected a case-by-case ground erstwhile a transgression has been committed.

Similar information programs person been started by the RCMP and constabulary services crossed the state successful cities similar Vancouver, Edmonton and North Bay.