Neighborhood Security Camera Program

The Neighborhood Security Camera Program (NSCP) allows Palo Alto residents and businesses to voluntarily notify the Palo Alto Police Department of the presence of privately-owned security cameras on their property.  

It simply serves as an easy way for officers to know that cameras are present in a given area, so if they need to search for evidence after a crime has been committed in your neighborhood, they'll have a place to start.  Officers would contact camera owners to ask if the cameras recorded anything that could be useful in the investigation.

When you voluntarily sign up your cameras by filling out an online form accessible via the blue "Sign Up Now!" link above, you provide contact information and details on your security camera system (e.g. camera locations, their field of view, hours of operation, video retention period, etc.).  Registration is free, and takes less than five minutes.

If a crime occurs in your neighborhood, personnel from the Palo Alto Police Department would contact camera owners to ask if their cameras recorded anything that could be useful in the investigation.

After speaking with the officer and learning the relevant time period for the crime, you can elect to review your footage yourself and submit any relevant parts to the police, submit all of your footage during the appropriate time period to the police without reviewing it yourself, or simply disregard the request.  It's up to you how much, if at all, you would like to help.

The footage you choose to submit might become evidence in the criminal investigation, if it is relevant to what occurred.

The safety and wellbeing of our community is the ultimate benefit.  By signing up your cameras with the Police Department, you are helping us to have a more efficient way to investigate crimes that occur in Palo Alto. Security footage from your cameras may very well be the clue we need to solve a case and make an arrest!

While we will continue to knock on doors of neighbors adjacent to an area where a crime was committed to see if they heard or saw anything suspicious, the Neighborhood Security Camera Program allows our personnel to quickly and efficiently contact camera owners to seek relevant footage.  It also easily allows us to see if any cameras may exist along likely escape routes by the suspect, and facilitates us contacting those camera owners.

Does this give police the ability to remotely access my security cameras?

• No.  Choosing to sign up with this program does not allow officers access to watch or monitor your camera system.  It simply serves as an easy way for officers to know that cameras are present in a given area, so if they need to search for evidence after a crime has been committed in your neighborhood, they'll have a place to start.

If the police ask me for footage from my cameras, do I have to give it to them?

• No.  Responding to an officer's request for camera footage is voluntary, and signing up for the Neighborhood Security Camera Program does not obligate you to provide the footage to the police.  It is up to you if you would like to help with the investigation.

Who can access the data that I am choosing to submit?

• Staff members from the Palo Alto Police Department will be able to access the data.  The data submitted will not be publicly disclosed, as it becomes part of a law enforcement intelligence system for as long as you'd like us to have the information.

Do neighboring police agencies have similar programs?

• Yes.  Many other police agencies in our area have similar security camera programs, some for many years now. These programs are a smart practice that makes follow-up investigations much more efficient.

What did you do before, prior to this program coming online?

• After a crime, patrol officers or detectives would go from door to door checking to see if security cameras existed. If someone was not home at the time, personnel would have to return at a later time and make another attempt to check.
• While these traditional "neighborhood checks" will still occur for the sake of thoroughness, the Neighborhood Security Camera Program will give investigators an efficient, easy way to contact camera owners to seek evidence.

How do you verify that the information submitted here is accurate?

• After you sign up your cameras with us, a staff member will contact you to confirm the information is accurate.

What if I move, add or delete cameras, or need to make a change in the information I share?

• We'd be happy to modify or delete your information at any time upon request.  Please send an e-mail to pd@cityofpaloalto.org and a staff member will endeavor to respond to you within three business days.

Will officers share footage from my security cameras with other police agencies?

• It depends.  If the footage you choose to share with us would be beneficial in identifying and locating an outstanding criminal suspect or vehicle, officers from the Palo Alto Police Department may choose to share the images with other law enforcement agencies in an effort to help solve the crime.  

Will officers share footage from my security cameras with the public?

• It depends.  If the footage you choose to share with us might help us to identify and locate an outstanding criminal suspect or vehicle, the Palo Alto Police Department might share the images with the public.  This could occur in the form of a news release (which is published on our website, distributed to the media, and published on the Palo Alto Police Department digital media channels) or a social media post eliciting those with information to come forward to police.
• Your personal information (name, address, etc.) would not be included in this public release of information, and we would redact any unique identifying information that may appear in the footage (license plates, visible address digits, etc.) before releasing it.  We will also notify you in advance if your footage will be publicly released.

How much did this program cost to create?

• Only staff time.  The registration system was created by members of the City's Information Technology Department following a request by personnel in our Investigation Services Division.

I don't yet have security cameras, but I want to install some.  Can you recommend a brand?

• We cannot make specific product or brand recommendations.  Fortunately, though, there are many varieties of security cameras on the market today with a wide range of options. Many are affordable, and installation can be as simple as screwing a battery-powered camera into a wall and connecting it to your home WiFi. No matter what option you choose, ensure that you are able to download and share video footage easily in the event you want to provide it to police.

I still have questions.  Who should I contact?

• Please complete the short web form at the bottom of this page.  If you prefer, you can also send an e-mail to pd@cityofpaloalto.org.  Either way, staff will endeavor to respond to you within three business days.