LRPD asks for access to home security cameras to combat crime

The Little Rock Police Department wants access to your Ring doorbell camera.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced a new program Monday that will allow private homes and businesses to register security cameras with the LRPD as part of “Eyes on the Rock,” an initiative aimed at reducing crime in the metro area.

“We have different types of cameras throughout the city, known and unknown,” Scott said. “Today, that’s about 3,200 cameras.”

“We want to increase that number from 3,200 to at least 30,000,” Scott said during Monday’s press conference.

It’s intended to help Little Rock’s Real-Time Crime Center, which opened in 2022. Residents and businesses can register their cameras with the city.

“It’s time to go from good to great when it comes to the real-time crime center,” Scott said.

There are two options for recording. The first option only records the location of a camera, allowing police to contact a home or business to access video footage if a crime has occurred in a nearby area.

“LRPD cannot listen to or view your feed without your permission,” a slideshow at the press conference read. “Your feed, your choice.”

A second registration option allows for full integration of cameras with the LRPD. This option gives police direct, real-time access to camera footage during an emergency. It appears to be geared more toward businesses than residential homes.

“You can integrate your address as a location where the LRPD can access a camera feed at any time,” another slide reads.

To integrate a camera, you’ll need to buy a device from Fusus, a subsidiary of police camera and weapons maker Axon, a government contractor that provides real-time crime center software for “more than 70 different cities and counties in more than a dozen states,” according to Reuters.

Residents and businesses can purchase a Fusus device on the same city website where you register a camera. The devices range in cost from $350, plus a $150 annual subscription fee, to $7,200 with a $2,300 annual subscription fee.

The more expensive models, which seem to be aimed primarily at businesses, can handle a larger number of cameras, have artificial intelligence to search through video footage, and have larger storage capacity.

During Monday’s press conference, Scott said the cameras do not use facial recognition technology and that there are “no ‘Big Brother’ issues.”

Residents and businesses who participate in the program will receive an “Eyes on the Rock” sign in their yards, Scott said.

LRPD Chief Heath Helton said at the news conference that integrating public and private cameras for police use is “vital to the world we live in today.”

“Think about (the) Uvalde (shooting) and some of these tragic incidents that have happened across our country, if that information was shared with officers in real time, I can tell you the outcome would be 100 percent different,” Helton said.

“If there’s an incident, we can send out a mass notification to that specific area all at once saying, ‘Hey, there’s been an incident. Check your camera. If you see anything, let us know,'” Helton said. “It’s kind of like the analogy after 9/11: ‘If you see anything, say something.’ The same thing applies here.”

Investigations have shown that the failures surrounding the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting were not about the response time of first responders, but about the failure of officers to respond. Police arrived at the scene minutes after the shooter entered the elementary school, but it took more than an hour to stop the carnage. Two teachers and 19 children were killed in Uvalde, marking one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.

Mayor Scott said his proposed 1% sales tax initiative would provide additional funding for the real-time crime center and help the city reach its goal of 30,000 cameras. The Little Rock City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to put the sales tax proposal before voters in the November election.