Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden is asking business and homeowners in the county who own surveillance systems to partner with the agency to help solve crime.
The program is called "V.I.C.E. Video Identification Community Effort -- Clamping Down on Crime."
It said video surveillance systems are becoming more common as technology improves and cost goes down, which means more crimes can be solved.
The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office said if home and business owners allow them to have on file that you have a surveillane system, when a crime happens in an area, they already know where the cameras are, and can ask for video that could help solve the crime.
The Sheriff's Office said this partnership is voluntary, and you can change your involvement at any time.
The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office also said it will try to maintain the confidentiality of any records associated with your involvement in this program as well as the confidentiality of your video itself, but it can't guarantee your information will not be subpoenaed by a court for use in a criminal or civil hearing.
Fox 4 asked local attorney Spencer Cordell about the privacy concerns associated with being involved in a program like this, and if you should get involved. You can find his interview in the clip above.
If you live or own a business in Hendry County and would like to get involved, the Sheriff's Office said to contact Crime Prevention Officer Roy Franco at rfranco@hendrysheriff.org or call 863-517-8018.
