The San José Police Department is seeking help from the public in fighting crime by taking part in its Camera Archive & Mapping (CAM) program.

The CAM program allows residents and business owners to register the locations of their video surveillance systems with the city. When a crime occurs, police will be able to identify the locations of nearby video cameras and enlist the assistance of the community to help officers collect video evidence and follow up on leads.

Through the program, San Jose police will be able to directly contact CAM registrants who are using video in an area in which a crime occurred. Police would ask CAM registrants to check their video surveillance system for a specific date and time for video that may show activity involved with a crime, such as a getaway car or the direction that a person of interest was headed.

Registration is voluntary and there is no cost associated with registration. Registering your information does not provide SJPD with direct access to your camera.

Individuals may delete a CAM registration at any time. An individual’s personal information will be kept confidential by the city unless subject to disclosure by court order, and the information will be accessed by law enforcement personnel who are investigating a crime in the vicinity of where the camera is located.

Owners of participating CAMs will only be contacted by the San José Police Department in the future if there is a criminal incident in the vicinity of the security camera. Police personnel, if necessary, may request a copy of any video captured by the camera, which may assist in the investigation of a crime.

For more information click here to register your camera,