Through assistance from the Town, the Slave Lake RCMP have launched Project CAPTURE (Community Assisted Policing Through Use of Recorded Evidence). The purpose of the program is to allow the public to take an active role in deterring crime and assisting the RCMP with their overall crime prevention goals within the community through camera registration.
This completely voluntary program allows any resident or business the ability to register their security/doorbell camera with the RCMP in order to create a mapping system of participating cameras in an area if a crime were to occur. If a crime occurs, the RCMP are able to reference registered cameras located within the area and contact participants inquiring if they would volunteer to share their footage for use in the RCMP investigation.
This program has been launched in other jurisdictions, such as Red Deer and Chestermere, and has been very successful in providing evidence in investigations, identifying suspects, and crime reduction.
To register, please visit slavelakecapture.ca. For more information, please contact Slave Lake RCMP at 780-849-3999 and read the FAQ found below.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What exactly is the CAPTURE program for?
When police are investigating crime, they will conduct neighbourhood enquiries to locate witnesses or Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) video footage to assist the investigation. With the knowledge of private citizen security camera locations, the time to conduct the enquiries may be shortened and provide key information that could aid with the investigation.
Why do the police want this?
The primary objective of CAPTURE is to build a mapping program of security cameras in the community. Security cameras are an excellent crime prevention tool, protecting not only your own property, but potentially your neighbour’s as well. If you join CAPTURE, police will become equipped with your contact information, enabling them to quickly contact you so that you may check your cameras for recordings that may help the investigation. Through this program the police and citizens of Slave Lake are partnering together to make the community safer for everyone.
If I participate, do I have to hand over my footage/images?
No. That is entirely up to you; the program will always remain completely voluntary
How will I share the footage from my system with the police?
The police will not physically remove any of your equipment. Officers will provide you with a storage device and ask that you extract the data on site, at your convenience, and provide it to them.
Will anyone be able to see the database?
No. The list of registered properties is kept confidential and only the police will have access to it. Thanks to the CAPTURE mapping program, when a crime occurs officers will be able to instantly see which residences in the neighbouring areas have security video that may be of use.
Is my information shared?
No, all your personal information is kept confidential.
Do I register my security camera if it is an indoor camera but has an outdoor view?
Yes, as long as the picture of the camera shows outside, please register the camera and explain what view point it has.
If I move and bring my surveillance system with me, can I re-register?
Yes, please either advise us of the move, or login to your account and update your details, so the appropriate changes can be made to ensure the information is accurate.
Are the police encroaching on our privacy?
No. The program is one hundred percent voluntary. The security camera owner is the owner of the video/footage/photos produced. The police will not have access to any live video feed of any participant. The design of the website will also allow for a registrant to remove their profile at any time should they choose to no longer participate in the program.