Crowsnest Pass residents and business owners are being encouraged to register their security cameras with a provincewide program designed to help police gather evidence more quickly.
CAPTURE, which stands for Community Assisted Policing Through Use of Recorded Evidence, creates a voluntary registry of security cameras located throughout participating communities.
When a crime is reported, RCMP can use the registry to determine whether cameras near the scene may have recorded useful evidence.
“Instead of having to go canvas door to door, we can pull that information up quickly and know where we can collect possible video evidence,” Crowsnest Pass RCMP said.
Registering a camera does not provide police with direct access to the device or its recordings. It tells investigators that a camera is present so they can contact its owner and request any footage that could assist with an investigation.
RCMP said the campaign was not launched in response to one particular local increase in vehicle theft or other crime.
“I believe it’s a provincial initiative,” RCMP said. “Property crime is something that we’re dealing with across the province of Alberta, not just here.”
The registry is part of an effort to modernize policing and make the collection of video evidence faster and more efficient.
Footage can be particularly valuable when investigators are trying to determine whether crimes reported in different Crowsnest Pass communities are connected.
A person could travel through the municipality and commit several property crimes in one night. Video showing the same person or vehicle in Bellevue and Coleman could allow investigators to connect the files.
“If we get video evidence that links them, we identify them in one and link them to that other one,” RCMP said. “We can hold them accountable for all of them.”
One of the challenges police encounter is the number of security systems available and whether camera owners know how to retrieve and share their recordings.
“Police officers are not tech geniuses,” RCMP said, adding that different systems store and export footage in different ways.
Police can provide residents with a secure Axon link through which recordings can be uploaded. The system allows officers to review the footage and preserve it in a format that can be provided to the courts.
Residents are encouraged to learn how their security systems work before an incident occurs. Cameras should be operating properly, have sufficient storage and be positioned where they can record useful details.
A camera mounted directly above a doorway may capture little more than the top of someone’s head. RCMP said placing a camera off to the side can provide a clearer view of a person’s face as they approach.
Cameras placed near driveways or roads may also record vehicles and licence plates. Motion-activated lighting can illuminate people approaching a property and improve the quality of nighttime recordings.
Visible cameras may serve as a deterrent, but residents should also consider privacy when deciding where to point them.
Cameras can record a homeowner’s property and public areas such as roads, but should not be directed into a neighbouring home or positioned as though the neighbour is being monitored.
RCMP also reminded residents that cameras are only one part of protecting their property.
Vehicles should be locked and wallets, keys and other valuables should not be left inside.
“Criminals are lazy and they act on convenience,” RCMP said. “If they try 50 vehicles and they’re all locked, the likelihood of them returning to that area is a lot less.”
Registration is voluntary and can be completed at ruralalbertacapture.ca.