Help Reduce Crime and Assist Investigators Solve Crime While Practicing Safe Social Distancing

​"Social distancing" is an expression that we have all recently become familiar with, driving many of us to find alternate ways to accomplish everyday tasks. Our detectives need your help so they can still effectively investigate crimes, while practicing safe social distancing! How can you help? Do you currently utilize private surveillance at your home or business? The Virginia Beach Police Department has a partnership with WEcam, a surveillance camera registry program which allows residents and business owners to register the locations of their video surveillance systems with the Virginia Beach Police Department. This voluntary program is designed to take advantage of the abundance of video surveillance systems at homes and businesses throughout Virginia Beach to help reduce crime. How does it work?When a crime occurs, police will be able to identify the locations of nearby video cameras and seek assistance from the community to help detectives collect video evidence and follow up on leads. Often times a surveillance system might catch something useful for the police department; however, it goes unnoticed because the owner is unaware. If a crime should occur, the registration database is beneficial for detectives to be able to know where potential surveillance video may be available. Typically, officers and investigators are required to canvass neighborhoods and knock on doors to obtain this information; this program provides a more efficient method of investigation, and allows us to practice safe social distancing! By voluntarily registering your contact information with WEcam, VBPD detectives will know how to reach you by phone or email if a crime occurs in the vicinity of your property.Registering your information does not provide VBPD with direct access to your camera, but rather enables the VBPD to quickly reach out to you to determine if your security system may have captured evidence that could aid them in an investigation.VBPD will only contact you if it is believed your camera could contain evidence relevant to a criminal investigation or if there is a public safety concern (e.g. a missing child or adult) that occurred in the vicinity of your property. To register, click the following link:https://gisapps.vbgov.com/wecam/MPO Linda J KuehnVirginia Beach Police / Public Affairs Officer