Video surveillance is one of the best methods for apprehending criminals and convicting suspects who are caught in the act of committing a crime. Sharing video surveillance systems with law enforcement is a great example of community-law enforcement partnerships.

How Does it Work?

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has created the Community Camera Partnership Program, a partnership between the community and law enforcement that will provide a valuable tool in the fight against crime countywide.

Through the program, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office asks Orange County residents and businesses to register their surveillance cameras with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. As Orange County law-enforcement agencies respond to criminal incidents, they may be able to use information or footage gathered from those security cameras to assist in the apprehension and prosecution of the criminals involved.

Information from registrants will be stored in the Video Camera Law Enforcement Portal, a secure website that provides a database where the county’s law enforcement agencies may store and access information about the location of video surveillance cameras throughout the county. Through the use of the portal, police agencies investigating a crime may gain access to the database to identify the location of video surveillance cameras that may have recorded the crime, the perpetrators before the crime, the perpetrators fleeing from the crime scene, or other events relevant to the investigation. Through the portal, police agencies may also see the location of registered cameras on an interactive map. As investigations progress, officers may contact the cameras’ owners and request permission to access images on the cameras to aid in the investigation.

Is it Safe?

Participation in the program is strictly voluntary. All information will be kept in a secure database which will only be accessed by verified members of law enforcement. Information provided to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office regarding your camera systems will be used for official purposes only. Camera owners’ personal information will remain confidential and will not be distributed except as required by law or court order. No law enforcement members or Orange County District Attorney’s Office staff will be able to access the cameras remotely. Cameras will only be accessed in person with the expressed consent of the owners.

Registration

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office encourages residents and businesses to register their cameras using the program so that together we can make Orange County a safer place to live, learn and work. To electronically register a camera system, please visit www.ocdacams.com.