Memphis Police Urge Residents and Businesses to Join New Initiative to Help Combat Crime

The City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department recently invited residents and businesses of Memphis to participate in a new public safety initiative aimed at fighting crime.

Connect Memphis is the new initiative in which citizens utilize an online portal to register their security cameras to help solve crimes in the community, according to a press release by the City of Memphis regarding the initiative.

Through Connect Memphis, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) is hoping that citizens will register their security cameras and help create a community-wide public safety ecosystem.

Residential and commercial property owners and businesses are invited to register their security cameras with MPD so that video files can be used in the event of a criminal investigation or emergency incident in order to “quicken the evidence-gathering process.”

The program is “designed to provide critical and actionable information that speeds up investigations and emergency response and keeps residents and businesses safer,” according to the press release.

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

MPD notes that when cameras are registered, it 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… (Excerpt from The Tennessee Star)