Seguin encouraged to help fight crime

Residents, businesses urged to register their security cameras

Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) – If you’ve watched the news lately, then you’ve seen how home video surveillance systems have often been attributed with helping to catch a suspect and/or closing a case. This growing and popular trend to install video cameras around your home and business is now the latest crime-fighting tool – a tool that the Seguin Police Department wants to know more about.

The Seguin PD is asking residents and businesses across the city to voluntarily register their privately-owned surveillance systems so that police officers and detectives will know where they can possibly find cameras that may have recorded important evidence and that can help solve a crime.

Sarah Wallace, community engagement officer with the Seguin PD, says the police department believes in a strong partnership with citizens and businesses to help keep the community safe. She says the department is always looking for new ways to work with people to prevent and solve crimes.

“We are just bringing it back. We have not publicized it as much and it’s one thing that is on our goal list to get out there into the community. It is a total volunteer program and all that it would be is if you have a camera and you are comfortable, you can just sign up and by signing up, you will just be giving us your contact information. For example, John Smith on 123 Main Street has two cameras, and if a crime happens in that area and we are looking for footage and maybe the suspect or the suspect’s vehicle or whatever, we will send an email or a phone call out to John Smith in this example and say ‘hey, we are looking for something in between this time and this time. If you could review your camera footage to see if your camera caught anything. That would be great. Just let us know,’” said Wallace.

In the event that a crime occurs near their property, citizens who have registered through this program may be contacted, notifying them about the crime and requesting access to their video footage for investigative purposes only. Cameras, pg. 3