LAS VEGAS – With recent crimes involving shootings and burglaries around the valley, law enforcement officers say they want to provide a holiday safety initiative. The main goal: Reduce violence, be safe, pay attention and take care of each other.
There’s a program that allows valley residents to help deter crime and identify criminals through the use of home security cameras. Through the use of your home surveillance system and Vegas Safecam, which is a program designed to take advantage of surveillance videos at home and in businesses, crime is being reduced.

“Anything that is a deterrent to people stealing from you, from breaking into your home to threatening your safety, I’m for,” said Sergeant Jeff Clark, Metro Police.

Vegas Safecam is a program that was launched in 2016. Here’s how it works: By registering your surveillance system, Metro Police can use the database as a resource.

“If a crime is committed in an area we can quickly pull up on a map where there are cameras security cameras available to us,” Sergeant Clark said.

So, instead of going door to door, police are now able to save time by asking people directly for their footage to help solve crimes.

“It’s one thing for me to describe a suspect on paper or words — it’s a whole other ball game to show pictures or video,” Sgt. Clark said.

All you have to do is sign up with Metro Police by providing them with your name, number, and address.

“It’s completely voluntary; we never tap into your system, we never ask for your passwords,” Clark said.

Farzad Rudd owns Security Camera Las Vegas, and he says he has seen an increase in business this year.

“Ninety-nine percent of my customers always tend to get security after things happen,” Rudd said.

While some cameras are more expensive others are affordable, but in the long run, they can help deter crime.

“If you have a remote and you see things happening in your phone immediately start recording,” Rudd said.

Since it’s the holiday season, Metro Police wants to warn people about so-called “porch pirates.” Porch pirates are people who steal delivered packages left outside your front door.

And “porch predators” are people looking to get inside of your home.

Metro Police want everyone to be aware of these threats during the holiday season.

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