Malibu residents can now help the sheriff’s department solve crime quickly, efficiency, and effectively
When an incident occurs, home security cameras are one of the tools law enforcement uses to identify criminals and solve investigations.
In efforts to enhance emergency response, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is asking home residents and community members to join their camera registry program and register their cameras online to give the sheriffs department direct access to your cameras feed in case of an emergency.
“Your participation will greatly enhance emergency preparedness by enabling police, fire, and public safety professionals to better assess and rapidly respond to criminal activity and emergency situations,” the website says. “It will also enable investigators to easily gather evidence in case of an incident.”
Camera registration takes less than one minute through their secure online portal. Registering your cameras does not allow the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department access to your live video stream — it only enables investigators to know a camera is present at your location and easily request video evidence should an incident occur. An investigator from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will contact you via email if they need your assistance solving a crime near you.
Businesses can take community security one step further by giving the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department direct access to your camera feed in case of a nearby emergency.
Readers who keep up with our Sirens column on A3 may notice a trend when it comes to incidents, including vehicle and residential burglaries. “There are no security cameras available for evidence,” is common in those reports. Installing a security camera can not only deter thefts, it can also help assist when an incident does occur in your neighborhood.
Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Soderlund announced the program during the Malibu Business Roundtable meeting last Friday.
“When we get a report of a crime in the area, we can go on into this registry system and we’re going to send him a message and say “Hey can you check your camera at this time and this date and see if you possibly caught the suspects walking/driving away, or whatever the case may be, and that’s the basis of this camera registry,” Soderlund said. “It’s your camera, we can’t go into it, there’s no way for us to look at it, there’s no cost to it, we don’t share your information with anyone, all it does is that it tells us you have a camera and it’s at this location and so if a crime occurs at this location well send you a message through your contact information that you put in this registry.
Soderlund said they’ll send out a link, and residents can upload the video to their online evidence system.
“It would be a tremendous help for us to deter crime and solve crime by getting your cameras registered,” Soderlund said. “So I highly recommend you register your camera.”
According to the Los Angeles County website, there are 712 registered cameras in the system. Between Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Westlake and Malibu. As well as in the unincorporated areas, such as Topanga, Chatsworth, and West Hills.
To learn more about the program, visit connectlosangelescounty.org.
