Phoenix police looking to get residents involved in fighting crime
Aug 7, 2018, 5:00 PM
(Pixabay photo)
(Pixabay photo)
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department is looking to get residents involved in its crime-fighting process.
Sgt. Vince Lewis told KTAR News 92.3 FM that the department is working on ensuring that every responding officer was equipped with a body-worn camera, but they also have other programs to help them identify suspects.
One of those programs is called virtual block watch, which involves the department requesting footage from residents who are “willing to share to help us solve crimes in their neighborhood.
“We’re looking to help close the gap between the commission of a crime and the identification and location of a suspect,” Lewis said.
“Body-worn camera is part of that, but again we can also rely on other cameras in the area to help solve crime.”
That initiative, as well as expanding to doorbell cameras, will “exponentially increase the amount of cameras and people who we can reach out to and ask for permission to view their footage,” Lewis said.
So far, the department has 300 body-worn cameras deployed throughout the city, Lewis said, and is in the middle of a program to increase that number.
“We understand and recognize the important of having body-worn cameras, both for transparency and to assist with our investigations,” he added.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kathy Cline contributed to this report.
