The Arlington Police Department is taking a modern leap into community-based crime-fighting with its latest initiative, "Connect Arlington". The program, a unique approach in North Texas, is enabling citizens and businesses to join forces with law enforcement by sharing their surveillance footage to aid in crime investigations, according to the City of Arlington, Texas.
"Crime is not just a policing issue," Chief of Police Al Jones asserted, "It's a community issue." He emphasized the need for local support in combating crime, explaining that through Connect Arlington, residents and businesses can provide quick access to surveillance footage when an incident occurs. For ease, owners of surveillance systems can register their cameras with the APD's Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), or for businesses, integrate with a purchased Fusus core device for direct feed access, as stated by the City of Arlington, Texas.
Residential participants keen on joining this voluntary program can sign up for free. Registration does not hand over live or blanket access to their cameras to the department. Instead, it allows RTCC to swiftly locate and contact those with potentially relevant camera footage following an incident. Participants can also upload their surveillance videos directly to APD whenever necessary.
On the other hand, the business community can opt for integration, granting the RTCC direct access to live camera feeds. "When a crime occurs, the suspect isn't usually waiting at the scene for officers to arrive," Deputy Chief Steve Williams, who is in charge of the technical side of Connect Arlington, said his team's efficiency in finding and detaining suspects could skyrocket with immediate identification of persons or vehicles involved. Both registration and integration options maintain the autonomy of participants, who can opt in or opt out anytime, as per the City of Arlington, Texas.
Engagement and trust are essential components of this initiative. Christopher Lindenau, CEO of Fusus— the tech vendor for Connect Arlington— noted that community engagement tends to increase as such programs launch nationwide. "What we’ve seen across the country with agencies that start these types of programs is their community engagement increases. When it comes to public safety, change is best done in concert with those who you are trying to protect as a joint initiative," he said during the program's announcement, per the City of Arlington, Texas.
