The Newtown Police Department is launching a new crime prevention initiative. The department is looking to collaborate with residents and business owners with external security cameras who are willing to, voluntarily, share that information with Police.  Department officials say this will give them another way to gather information on crimes and other incidents. 

Most investigations require door-to-door canvases, but many times homeowners or the employee in charge of the camera systems is not available at that time, but this database will help Police contact owners in a timelier manner and see if there is video evidence they could provide.

The database would consist of basic information such as how many cameras are on the property, do they capture any part of the roadway and if they record based on motion or are constantly on.  All of the information will be kept confidential and used for official police purposes only. The registered person will only be contacted in the event an incident happens in their area and police need further information.

Newtown police will not have direct use of the camera system or access to any video footage.

The registration form can be found on the town's at https://www.newtown-ct.gov/newtown-police-department  Any questions can be directed to Ofc. Stephanie McDermott at (203) 426-5841 or Stephanie.Mcdermott@newtown-ct.gov