CITY OF MEMPHIS
the misbehaving pets , the charming neighbour kids , the deviant delivery drivers . But could these increasingly ubiquitous devices be a new tool in the police department ’ s armoury ?
Only with the homeowner ’ s consent is the short answer . The city has derived a new strategy called Connect Memphis , which uses an underlying intelligence technology provided by Georgia-based firm Fusus . Individuals and businesses that already have cameras can opt to register their device with the local police department .
When there ’ s a crime in the area , Fusus negates the need for officers to manually conduct door-to-door enquiries . Instead , as part of their investigation , they can request access to footage through the platform and camera owners can grant access digitally . There are already 3,700 cameras that have been registered across the city , including over 500 that have been integrated with the city ’ s real-time crime centre .
“ It was overwhelming to see how many citizens were willing to go through this and provide access to their camera to the police department ,” Boateng says , although he accepts that the majority of users at present are businesses rather than private individuals . Generally , companies have less to lose and more to gain ; their premises are less likely to have privacy implications , and with revenue protection they have more to lose .
America is still grappling with how to repair relations between the public and the police ; if that relationship improves , it ’ s plausible that more citizens will choose to register their doorbell or private CCTV camera . “ When you explain to them the benefits of it and how it helps with crime
“Public servants are in this line of work for the love of the job . It ’ s the sense of seeing your accomplishments and knowing you are helping somebody ”
AUGUSTINE BOATENG INTERIM CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER , CITY OF MEMPHIS
128 January 2024