Those of you who know me, know I am a wrestling fan.
And any chance I get, I will infuse a bit of wrestling into my work.
For instance, when thinking about the topic of this week’s column, I immediately thought of a quote from Paul Heyman.
Heyman has done much in the world of professional wrestling, and is currently appearing in WWE as the “advocate” (or managers as they were called 30 years ago) of the WWE Undisputed Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.
When asked about why he has been so successful during an interview several years ago, Heyman responded by saying:
“I am not a genius, but rather I am not stupid. If I see something that works, I let it work.”
To bring us back to today’s subject, let’s talk about the OPP’s latest initiative, the CAMSafe program.
CAMSafe, announced on July 31, is “a program aimed at creating a database of residential and commercial security cameras within a community that may act as a resource for police when investigating offences/crime,” according to a media release.
“When a police officer uses the CAMSafe database they will see a map of the local area. Officers can click on registered addresses to view further details, such as property owner contact information. Officers cannot access your security camera or cloud-based accounts.”
According to the release, police would be able to contact those community members who have voluntarily registered their camera(s) with CAMSafe if they would like to examine camera footage.
On paper, this is a great idea. With security cameras becoming more common, and seemingly less expensive, it only makes sense to have a community database for police to access in aiding their investigations.
However, this idea sounds vaguely familiar.
Readers of the Walkerton Herald-Times may be thinking this as well.
In the June 22 issue, we ran a story titled “Local businessman makes it easier for police to fight crime.” That story, written by Pauline Kerr, outlined Darren Holm’s concept that would help police access information during their investigations.
As written by Pauline:
What he’s done is create a system that allows someone who has a security camera to list contact information on a secure website that only police can utilize. Rather than conduct a labour-intensive and potentially hazardous search, police can use a cell phone to tap into the site. They then zoom in on the area they want and see blue dots where there are security cameras. The owner’s contact information pops up. Police then contact the owner and ask for consent to review or use the footage. It’s quick, easy and safe, for both the camera owner and police.
Holm noted that it’s purely voluntary every step of the way, from registering the camera to allowing use of the footage.
One of Holm’s staff members, Ty Arnold at Walkerton Technology Centre, made the idea – which stemmed from a conversation Holm had with an OPP sergeant – into a concrete system that works, known as the Brockton Security Camera Registry.
I knew it sounded familiar.
Can the OPP be accused of copying an idea? Hard to say, as other jurisdictions – Alberta, for example – use similar programs.
I think what I am most impressed about is that something so… common sense… is being implemented by the OPP. A true example of, “I am not a genius, but rather I am not stupid.”
CAMSafe is, in my opinion, the result of outside-the-box thinking by a community member that was, quite simply, too good not to use.
Hopefully, for the safety of our community, people will voluntarily register with CAMSafe to help protect residents and local businesses.
To learn more about the CAMSafe program or to register your security cameras, visit camsafe.ca.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of the Walkerton Herald-Times. While he finds common sense approaches are not used enough by government and organizations, he will applaud them when common sense prevails. Comments and feedback are welcome at mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
