RAHWAY, NJ — Rahway Police Department has launched an innovative new security program called SafCam in order to aid in the investigation of serious crimes. An announcement of the program, which was dated April 11, states that the department is asking residents and businesses to register their surveillance cameras so that officers may use footage from the cameras to solve crimes and prosecute criminals.
“By registering on our list, we can expedite the process by making it more efficient,” Lt. Dawn Rodger told LocalSource over the phone on April 17. “We can also use the cameras to identify witnesses.”
Many communities have already adopted this program, including Linden. So far the program has received positive feedback from the community.
“This is a nationwide program that many departments implemented,” Rodger said. “It’s new to us and we took it a step further by adding it to our mapping system. This indicates where the cameras are located. We’ve gotten a good response from the community. We’re looking to increase participation at this time.”
According to the press release, the mapping system allows officers to locate evidence faster. By using the geographic location, officers can communicate with homeowners or business owners by phone or email. Participants may be asked to check the surveillance video for a specific date and time to see if it captured something related to the crime. If any video evidence is found, they can contact Rahway Police for video retrieval. This valuable evidence may then lead to the prosecution of the criminals involved.
Participants would only be contacted by police if an incident occurs within the vicinity of the camera. Officers may request to see footage to assist in their investigation. Homes and businesses that register for the program will receive a window sticker indicating their membership in the program.
The online registration is simple and takes only a few minutes to complete. Residents and businesses can go to www.rahwaypolice.com to register their camera. There is a “Register Camera” button at the top right hand corner of the page. There is no cost to register and all information will remain confidential.
“This is a way for us to find homeowners and business owners and let them know something happened,” Rodger said. “We would have access to their information on file.”
By registering for the program, residents and business owners are taking an active role in preventing crime in their community, said Rodger. This program will give police a quicker way to contact the necessary people during an investigation and save them a substantial amount of time in solving crimes.