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St. Cloud, Minn., PD Considers Database for All Private Security Camera Footage

The company that offers the service believes that the technology should be used in a community-oriented fashion to ensure the public's trust and safety.

(TNS) -- There are about 500 security cameras installed at businesses throughout St. Cloud, according to Police Cmdr. Jim Steve. Police are planning to ask the city's business owners to put those cameras to use helping to solve crimes more quickly.

The St. Cloud Police Department is considering installing a program that would allow officers to build a database of private security cameras in the city, helping them quickly contact the owners and request to see video from specific times.

The program, Safelink, is created by a Minneapolis company called SecuroNet and is used by the police departments in Minneapolis and Rochester. St. Cloud police have discussed a contract with the company but first want to gauge the interest of business owners. The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting an informational meeting Jan. 19 at the police station to give the community a chance to learn about the program.

"We want this to be a community project, so it's important to us to know how the business community feels about it," Cmdr. Jeff Oxton said. "This is not something we want to impose. If we got feedback that they didn't like this, that would matter."

Greg Boosalis, an account manager at SecuroNet, said the service varies in cost based on the number of precincts a department has, but it typically costs a city between $15,000 and $20,000 per year.

Oxton said asking businesses to view security footage is part of routine canvassing in any investigation. Footage from a nearby apartment's security cameras helped police arrest a suspect after several cars were vandalized earlier this year. But it is normally a very time-consuming process requiring officers to go door-to-door to find out whether an owner has cameras installed, according to Oxton.

"This would make it easier to know about more possible video," he said.

Boosalis said under the program, an officer can type in an address and see a map containing every registered camera nearby. Officers can then fill out a request form in the software that alerts the owner of a camera that police are interested in viewing footage from a particular time. It is then up to the camera owner to let police see the footage how and when they want.

"It really balances privacy with enhancing law enforcement capabilities," Boosalis said. "And it saves money for the government by allowing them to leverage private-sector cameras already installed."

Oxton said police think the program is non-invasive enough to ease any "'Big Brother' fears" of local business owners, but that the department will listen to any concerns at the January meeting. He said while he did not have a firm timeline, the program could be running by summer.

St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce President Theresa Bohnen said she is in favor of the program.

"I think it's a great opportunity to use existing resources to accomplish a safer community," she said. "If some businesses have concerns about privacy, I think they need to come and listen and learn about what this is."

©2015 the St. Cloud Times (St. Cloud, Minn.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.