What Do Police Do With Security Camera Footage After Theft

When the police investigate a crime, they may seek security camera footage from video surveillance and security systems. Usually, the property owner helps the crime investigation with surveillance video. The police make this request frequently, and the best security companies cooperate with the property owner’s permission to provide the requested evidence.

Cooperation with Police

Security footage in criminal cases can help the police apprehend a perpetrator using advanced techniques to identify people through facial recognition and to gather clues about the crime scene.

Even if you reported the crime, you are not automatically required to provide video evidence in theft investigations. However, if you refuse a voluntary request, the police may return with a court order, such as a search warrant, or subpoena the video footage as evidence.

Limit the Scope

You have the right to limit the scope of the request. Suppose you saw a break-in of a neighbor’s house by looking through your bedroom window. This would not be a legitimate reason for the police to request all the video surveillance from inside your house. 

Still, it would be reasonable to provide any surveillance footage of the exterior of your home for the date of the crime that could have evidence of the crime or the suspects. Perhaps the burglar walked past your security cameras.

If you reported the crime, you would likely want to help the police as much as possible. Law enforcement and security cameras support each other. Many crimes could not be solved without video footage of the event.

Here are the steps to take when police request security camera footage:

1.      Check the Request’s Legitimacy

Criminals may impersonate police and gain entry to your home under false premises. Ask to see identification and call the police department on the non-emergency number to verify that the request is legitimate.

2.      Limit the Scope 

Ask for details about the time, date(s), and areas of the footage they are looking for, and then work with your security company to review that specific video footage. Locate the required footage and make a copy of it to avoid giving unnecessary data.

3.      Make Backup 

Never give anyone your original, unaltered video footage. Copy the original footage and make a backup to permanent media so there is no chance of it being erased. Keep this copy in a fireproof safe for at least ten years for most crimes (forever, if murder is involved).

4.      Provide Footage to Law Enforcement

Depending on the jurisdiction, the police may ask you to provide the evidence on portable media such as a USB drive or upload it to a secure cloud system. Your security company handles this if the video files are stored on their system.

How Police Use CCTV Footage

Police use close-circuit television (CCTV) video to confirm timelines, identify suspects, discover clues, and support witness testimony. It may become critical evidence in investigations that lead to arrests, criminal charges, and court trials. The police may keep this evidence permanently and have no obligation to give you any updates about the case.

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