Collective Surveillance is a good thing

The Cushing Police Department is implementing a surveillance/ security camera registration program for private property owners and business owners.

Some of the more conspiracytheory types might get the misconception that the city’s trying to going all Fahrenheit 451 on its citizenry or, any of a dozen or so other applicable theories, but this couldn’t be further from the truth behind registering your camera, so put down your tinfoil hat and try to focus.

This program is no different than registering your tornado shelter… it’s for you’re safety and peace of mind.

Every police department and sherif’s department in Payne, Creek and Lincoln Counties have a tornado shelter registration program in place and if you’re not registered, you should be.

The folks who register their tornado shelters with the PD are doing so because they know the police will use the information provided in their registration to locate the storm shelter in the event of a catastrophic tornado.

If an F4 or F5 monster ‘nader were to scour its way across Cushing, leaving nothing in its wake but curbs, foundations, a skeert cat and a tree trunk over your shelter entrance, the police aren’t going to be able to fi nd you without the gps coordinates you provided on your registration. The damage left behind by a major tornado leaves no points of reference as to where a shelter might be hidden beneath the debris, so the police need to know where your shelters are.

If they don’t know your shelter exists, you might live out the remainder of your days underground, trapped inside a concrete box because the neighbor’s 1996 Silverado is upside down on top of your shelter door and you can’t get out.

But this isn’t about tornado shelters. It’s about catching folks who were assigned “dirtbag” at birth. It’s about catching bad guys.

Deputy Chief Nick Meyers explained to us last week that it’s important that you register your home or business surveillance system, whether it’s a Ring Doorbell cam or a grown up version with DVR and eight infrared cameras. Why? Because detectives investigating a crime that may have occurred nearby could discover just what they need on your camera to tie together an investigation and put away scumbags.

Your video might solve a murder or it might help solve a petty theft… but your camera won’t solve anything if it’s not registered.

The driver of that blue pickup that rolled down your street at 2 a.m. this morning may have stolen some building materials from your neighbor down the street.

Know how to double the value of a 1992 Dodge Ram? Throw a couple sheets of plywood in the back.

Does this mean police will gain access to your camera’s feed? Nope. They will just know where your camera is, what it is, and which way it is looking.

With the proliferation of home surveillance systems, police have a potential collective crime fi ghting tool without precedent. Something to use against those who seem to think that your stuff is actually their stuff.

The mere knowledge that Cushing’s residents have gotten behind this program could be a deterrent to the smarter criminal types and they’d take their marbles and go play somewhere else… become a problem for another town… a town without street-to-street video camera coverage provided by citizens who are tired of being victims.

Here’s what could happen if we pull this off. Dirtball Darren cases Steve the contractor’s garage, fi gures out how to beat Steve’s cameras, rips off all his bright yellow Dewalt power tools, throws them into the back of his 1987 Olds 88 and speeds off.

What Dirtball Darren doesn’t know is everybody on the street has at least one camera facing the street and a few looking at their backyards. Five separate cameras at three separate homes get images of Darren carrying what looks like a Dewalt cordless chop saw and a couple bright yellow drills over to the trunk of his Oldsmobile.

Then, no fewer than 20 cameras across town and a couple in rural Payne County capture images and video of Darren’s Oldsmobile as he makes his slimy way to an accomplice’s house with Steve’s stuff.

Here’s the good part… investigators know everyone who has cameras along Darren’s route because these people registered them. Now police are able to piece together Darren’s slime trail using all those registered cameras and Darren is busted… Steve gets his stuff back. Eventually, Darren fi nds himself in front of a judge, being prosecuted by the people of the State of Oklahoma and the people have a ton of video evidence that condemns Darren to some time behind bars.

This is proactive policing, not reactive, and this is the kind of policing needed to reduce crime.

Chief Claxton and Deputy Chief Meyers told us they will be rolling out other programs that refl ect proactive policing in the near future.

Scumbags beware… we’re watching you.

We feel that cities, towns and rural areas across our coverage area could benefi t from a global effort when it comes to helping law enforcement catch bad guys.

We feel that Drumright, Mannford and Yale Police Departments, as well as the Payne and Creek County Sheriff’s Departments could benefi t from a camera registration program and those benefi ts would be passed on to the population they serve… but they can’t be as good as they can be without your help.

It’s kind of a no-brainer. Think about it… why did you invest in a camera in the fi rst place? Why not take steps to make that camera be all it can be?

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