A new RCMP initiative that will enlist the public in providing home security video will be of benefit to police investigations, said Cpl. Gibb of the Beaverlodge RCMP.

Residents and businesses with video surveillance across Alberta can now register with the Community Assisted Policing Through the Use of Recorded Evidence (CAPTURE) camera registry program.

The CAPTURE program allows registered users to upload a portion of surveillance video, allowing an officer to evaluate the video footage before deciding to ask for a copy.

“When the RCMP is already readily aware of where surveillance video may be available that we could obtain, to identify suspects and further investigations, it makes our job a lot easier than basically trying to find something out there and hoping for the best,” Gibb said.

“Anything police can use kind of as a tool to reduce the amount of time our officers need to search for and gather evidence is always pretty positive for us.”

Registering a camera and contact information also allows the RCMP to see a list of security cameras to assist in contacting owners during an investigation.

Alberta RCMP emphasized that RCMP will not have live access to registered camera feeds, and will only ask for videos already recorded.

Should video footage be determined to be able to assist in an investigation, an officer can provide registered users with a USB thumb drive to copy the video.

Interested residents and businesses can register for the program by visiting ruralalbertacapture.ca.

Earlier this year, Town of Beaverlodge council elected to not move forward with a proposal from IGA owner Mark Walker that would see the installation of security cameras at key routes in and out of town. 

Walker had told town council in January he had consulted with Ross Hansen from Commnet and Ryan Korzenowski from ATCO to brainstorm potential locations of the cameras that could record vehicles entering and exiting town limits. 

“We agreed this is possible with a bit of work, given the town’s approval,” said Walker. 

He said he would be willing  volunteer on a committee to bring forth a package with proposed costs from Commnet, ATCO and any other subtrades that would be involved. 

Beaverlodge Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Johnston cited legal considerations in the town’s decision.