DC asks residents, businesses to register security cameras with real-time crime center NBC4 Washington [Video]

After weeks of delays, D.C.’s real-time crime center is open, and leaders want residents and businesses to register their security cameras with police.

The center is a hub for technology like shot spotters, license-plate readers, traffic cameras and security cameras funneled through a command center at police headquarters.

By registering security cameras with police, residents and businesses are not giving police access but letting them know the location of the camera, so if a crime happens nearby, police can ask for the camera to be checked.

“I want to make it clear, by simply registering your camera, in no way are you giving MPD live access to your camera footage,” D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said.

Businessman Mark Ein, whose company Kastle Systems provides security technology for businesses across the city, took that a step further. He has been organizing a network of private companies who have stepped up to …