C.O.P. Camera Registration

About the C.O.P. Camera Registration

The Chesterfield Observation Program (C.O.P.) was created in 2017 by asking residents and businesses across the township to register their privately owned surveillance camera systems. The registration tells police where cameras are located so investigators can gather probative information on crimes that may have occurred in that area.

Registering does not give the police department access to your video system. If an incident occurs near your camera, the Detective Bureau will contact you and ask you to review your footage for anything relevant. You decide whether and how to share what you find.

Knowing where cameras are saves time in the first hours of an investigation, when video is most likely to identify a suspect or a vehicle. Registered cameras have helped solve crimes throughout the township, and the presence of cameras also deters criminal activity.

How Registration Works

• Provide your address, contact information and the general locations and views of your cameras
• The department records the camera location in its C.O.P. registry; nothing connects to your system
• If a crime occurs nearby, the Detective Bureau contacts you and asks you to check your footage for the relevant date and time
• You review the footage and choose whether to share anything relevant with investigators
• Update the department if you move, remove cameras or change your contact information