MPD invites citizens to join Connect Memphis to help Fight Crime

 

Residents and businesses in Memphis are invited to participate in this exciting new public-private crime mitigation and safety initiative

The City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department today announced the official launch of its latest public safety initiative designed to provide critical and actionable information that speeds up investigations and emergency response and keeps residents and businesses safer. Connect Memphis, powered by Fusus, this new platform includes a camera registry–an online portal for citizens to register their security cameras to help solve crimes in the community.

The Memphis Police Department is hoping that citizens will register their cameras and help create a community-wide public safety ecosystem.

By setting up a voluntary camera registration process, the need for door-to-door canvassing is eliminated, and valuable time can be used elsewhere. Registering a camera with MPD is quickly and easily done through the self-service portal at connect2memphis.org   

Both residential and commercial property owners and businesses are invited to register their security cameras. Registrant information and any video files provided will be kept confidential and only used in the event of a criminal investigation or emergency incident.

Camera registration does not give live video access to the MPD. It only gives them camera location information for use when an incident occurs.  Investigators will contact camera owners only if they need assistance collecting camera footage.  In the event of a theft, for example, police may request a store owner’s recorded video to quicken the evidence-gathering process.

“Having the ability to quickly review video footage in a criminal investigation is critically important,” Mayor Jim Strickland said. “With Connect Memphis, our officers will know where active cameras are in relation to a crime scene and be able to obtain the footage more quickly or request it to help with their investigation. We hope you will sign up and join us in the fight against crime.”

In addition to the camera registry, the MPD is offering residents the option to upgrade their video security systems to include live video feeds to the department. Residents and businesses can share live video feeds with the police department in emergencies to improve employee safety and police response by installing a small CORE device on their network.

To preserve privacy, live video can optionally be shared only on alert, using a smartphone app or manual trigger button, at the camera owner’s discretion. This upgrade can be requested following the camera registration process online. 

"The Memphis Police Department is excited to introduce this technology that will allow us to further partner with our community members, says Chief CJ Davis. “By utilizing Connect Memphis, this will serve as a deterrent and aid with the collection of video evidence in a timely and convenient manner."

 To register a camera with the Memphis Police Department or to upload a video directly to investigators, please visit connect2memphis.org and follow the instructions.

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