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Buffalo SafeCam initiative helps police in solving crimes

'More times than not, SafeCam has played a pretty important role in a lot of our cases.'

BUFFALO, N.Y. — With so many people purchasing surveillance cameras to protect their property, the Buffalo Police Department wants to know where they are.

Police say that you can help solve crimes in your neighborhood by registering those home surveillance cameras with the department through the Buffalo SafeCam initiative.

Here's how it works: you register your surveillance camera online with the department, giving them the location of the camera and your contact information.

Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo says that information will be put into a database. If a crime occurs in that area, officers will know where the cameras are and who to contact to get the footage.

This program has been in effect for four years and Rinaldo said it has been successful in helping solve crimes.

"More times than not SafeCam has played a pretty important role in a lot of our cases," he said.

When you register, you also consent that all video given to the Buffalo Police Department can be used as evidence, and you cannot release any video or images to the media without contacting the police department first.

With so many homes and businesses getting new security systems, Rinaldo wants to remind people they can register their cameras without privacy concerns.

"We have no access to the system, we don't get log in credentials. It doesn't suddenly become viewable by the Buffalo Police Department," Rinaldo said. "It is simply a notification that you have a system. It allows us a point of contact so that, again, if a crime is committed in the vicinity of those cameras, it allows our detectives to follow up with the person to see whether or not they have video surveillance."

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