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Scary - 1984 has finally arrived in full force. In this Spanish language article from this week's (March 6, 2017) La Prensa, which is a free Spanish language newspaper in the Phoenix area, the Phoenix Police are asking people to participate in a program called "Virtual Block Watch" where you share your surveillance cameras with the Phoenix Police. The link given in the article points to a non-existent web page at the City of Phoenix. Maybe they will fix it in the future. The link is: http://www.phoenix.gov/virtualwatch It looks like this is the correct link to the Virtual Watch Police State web page at the city of Amanda Daniels https://www.phoenix.gov/police/virtualblockwatch Here is the blurb from the above web page: Virtual Block Watch Virtual Block Watch is one of the Phoenix Police Department's contemporary crime prevention and investigation tools that demonstrates the effectiveness of partnerships between police and the community. Registering your camera not only helps deter crime, but assists the Department in its overall crime prevention strategy in your neighborhood. Protect yourself, your family and your community by registering with Virtual Block Watch. Register your camera today 1. Register Registration is simple and only takes about 10 minutes to complete. You will provide basic information and tell us where your cameras are located. There is no cost associated with registration and your information is confidential. You may delete your registration at any time. 2. Verify Once you have completed the registration and verification process, a member of the Department will follow up with you to confirm your registration. At this point, you will also receive a Virtual Block Watch window decal to display in your home or business. 3. Call of Duty You will only be contacted by Police Personnel (by phone or email) in the future if there is a criminal incident in the vicinity of your security camera. Police personnel, if necessary, may request a copy of any video captured by your camera, which may assist in the investigation of a crime. http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/233050904-story Virtual block watch: Phoenix to begin testing program to share surveillance video with police By: Linda Rod Williams POSTED:FEB 01 2017 12:04PM MST UPDATED:FEB 01 2017 12:19PM MST PHOENIX (KSAZ) - There are millions of them across the valley, and the popularity of home surveillance systems continue to rise. The Phoenix Police Department is looking into a program that could use these private cameras to help catch bad guys. There is something chilling and maddening about watching someone steal someone else's stuff. These videos have exploded thanks to residential surveillance cameras and social media. The city is now trying to harness the power of all those neighborhoods with all of those cameras. Virtual block watch: Phoenix to begin testing program to share surveillance video with police Just after 9:00 p.m. in a quiet Laveen neighborhood on Friday, two men broke the window of a work truck parked in the driveway and stole tools worth about $3,500. "We are still trusting in people.. we are trusting we are in a good neighborhood," said Alma. It was her husband's truck that was burglarized. Alma didn't want to show her face on camera, but wanted to weigh in on a new program the city of Phoenix may launch. It's a virtual block watch. "Excellent idea. It's the best idea I have heard about the crime because cameras are everywhere now and a lot of houses have them and sharing is really good," she said. The program is 100 percent voluntary. Homeowners who have surveillance cameras would register with the city. If there is a crime in the neighborhood, Phoenix police can check the database and ask nearby homeowners with cameras to check them during a certain time span, looking for more images that could help catch bad guys. Alma's camera caught a good image, but neighbors' cameras might have captured more clues. The family is insured and can replace the tools, but also worry about getting back peace of mind for their kids. "Because now they don't feel safe. Last night we went to bed and we heard noise and they tried to hide.. no, don't worry, nothing's going to happen to you, but they feel unsafe right now," said Alma. Phoenix police say they hope to roll out a pilot program of virtual blockwatch in the next several weeks. http://www.azfamily.com/story/34644508/phoenix-police-launch-virtual-block-watch Phoenix Police launch Virtual Block Watch A neighborhood watch in Phoenix goes digital Posted: Mar 01, 2017 10:49 PM Updated: Mar 01, 2017 11:42 PM By Amanda Goodman The Phoenix Police Department just launched a pilot program that takes their community block watch program digital, at least in one precinct. "Residents and businesses in the community can register their surveillance systems, or their closed circuit television cameras with us," said Phoenix Police Sgt.Vince Lewis. It's called Virtual Block Watch and people can register here: https://www.phoenix.gov/police/virtualblockwatch Right now, it's only available in the Maryvale, Estrella Mountain Precinct. Sgt. Lewis says they chose that area for the test run because of the still-unsolved serial shooter case from 2016, most of the killings took place in Maryvale. "If the system existed at the time, it's possible that we could have reached out to locations where those crimes had occurred and maybe find evidence that could have helped further that investigation," Sgt. Lewis said. Going forward, anyone who signs up will have their cameras included in a precinct-wide map which detectives can access quickly making this a big time saver. "When a crime takes place in that neighborhood, detectives can pull up a pin map to see whose systems are active in that area," said Lewis. Detectives are not able to tap in directly to a camera's live feed. In fact, Sgt. Lewis says the only way they can see any video that may have been captured is if the registrant allows them to. "If it's of use, we'll extract that and it will become evidence and it will be treated with the same care and security that any piece of evidence would," Sgt. Lewis said. Once people sign up, someone from the Phoenix Police Department will also come out just to check out the system and make sure it's compatible and provide some technical assistance or help point the cameras at the best angle. Phoenix is just the latest Valley city utilizing the uptick in civilian security cameras to help solve crimes. Peoria and MCSO in Queen Creek have similar programs. "It's an excellent opportunity for everybody to contribute to the crime-prevention strategies in their neighborhood," Lewis said. Remove Choose Files Add photosChoose FilesTag peopleAdd what you're doing or how you're feelingTag a location Public Save