(CAPITOL CITY NOW) -Area law enforcement agencies are encouraging residents to register home security cameras to help in police investigations. By voluntarily registering cameras, homeowners can assist by providing potential video evidence.

The Springfield Police Department currently offers community camera registry at syncspringfield.org. According to SPD, registering a home camera, such as a Ring doorbell, doesn’t allow the police access to your live video stream. Instead, it lets investigators know a camera is present at your location, and they can request video evidence should an incident occur.

Springfield Police Department camera registration

The Lincoln Police Department is launching a similar program and working to create an interactive map of the area showing locations of citizen-owned cameras throughout the city. LPD, like SPD, stresses that officers will not have access to the camera stream but will be able to quickly locate cameras that may have evidence. LPD will contact the camera owner and request permission to view footage.

Lincoln Police Department camera registration