WASHINGTON — In an effort to fight crime in D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law Friday a bill that provides rebates for business or property owners who install outdoor security camera systems.
The new law applies to cameras installed at homes, businesses or other facilities and prioritizes certain areas of the city experiencing spikes in crime.
To qualify for the rebate, the cameras must be registered with D.C. Police. In a statement, the mayor’s office said police will use the surveillance footage to investigate crimes that have occurred. The cameras will also serve as a general crime deterrent. Police will not have live access to the cameras.
The program provides a rebate of up to $200 per surveillance camera, with homeowners collecting a maximum rebate of $500. Businesses, nonprofits and religious facilities can see a maximum rebate of $750.
“These work to keep our neighborhoods safer. These work to identify suspects,” D.C. Councilman Charles Allen, who introduced the bill, said of the private cameras. “As we’ve heard (D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier) even say, this is a force multiplier. It helps our officers do their job.”
Allen’s office says about 20 percent of the videos D.C. Police post online seeking public help identifying persons of interest come from private security cameras.
Those interested in applying for a rebate should contact the District’s Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants. However, leaders say rules for the program are still being developed, and could take a week or so to be finalized.
Additionally, not everyone who applies for a rebate will be given one. “Right now, we’re focused on areas where we have seen spikes in crime,” said Bowser.
“Our priority will be looking at violent crime clusters,” said Kevin Donahue, deputy mayor for public safety and justice, “so when we take applications we’ll prioritize first those who are applying who live or have business in those areas.”
Donahue listed Wards 7 and 8, and parts of Ward 5 as priorities. “After that we’ll see how much money’s left over and then determine who outside of those areas has the greatest need,” he said. The measure provides $500,000 in funding for the rebates.
This is just the latest move involving increased video surveillance in the nation’s capital. In 2014, police announced that 1,000 cameras were being donated by Kastle Systems to businesses interested in a surveillance video sharing partnership. D.C. police said they would be able to access those cameras during critical incidents. D.C. police also operate their own network of surveillance cameras.
