Alberta RCMP announced on Monday a voluntary surveillance camera registry program has now gone province-wide.
Called CAPTURE (Community Assisted Policing Through the Use of Recorded Evidence), the initiative has been rolled over the last several years.
It has been available in Red Deer since 2019 and in 2021, Blackfalds, Rimbey, Rocky Mountain House, Innisfail and Sylvan Lake RCMP detachments joined.
Residents and businesses who have video surveillance, and are willing to share video camera footage when requested, can sign up.
“This initiative won’t replace officers from knocking on doors, but it will help officers track down video evidence in ongoing criminal investigations in RCMP jurisdictions,” said RCMP on Monday.
The program aims to reduce the time an officer needs to search for and gather video evidence when conducting an investigation. The CAPTURE program allows a person or business to upload a portion of the video requested. This allows the officer to evaluate the video footage before deciding to ask for a copy.
To get started, camera owners can visit www.ruralalbertacapture.ca and create an account. From there you can enter your contact information and video cameras on the secure site. That information is not available to the public. If an officer needs to contact you, they will do so by the information provided.
The program is voluntary, and video images remain the owner’s property and police do not have live access to your camera feed.
