SafeWatch

Surveillance footage can be a great tool for solving crimes as well as other things such as investigating lost/missing persons. The Olean Police Department is introducing the start of a new program called SafeWatch. This is a program that calls on city businesses and residents to register their private cameras with the Olean Police Department, further enhancing tools used in fighting and investigating crimes.

The Olean Police Department does not take ownership of the cameras under the SafeWatch program; instead, Investigators would simply know where the cameras are as people register. If a crime happens in a certain neighborhood, Investigators will already know a camera is nearby and footage can be pulled up quickly.

You may cancel your registration at any time by emailing Captain Robert Blovsky at [email protected].

Once you have registered, a member of the Department will visit or call you to verify the information you have provided.

After you have registered, the Olean Police Department will only contact you if there is a criminal incident in the vicinity of your video cameras to view and possibly copy the video.

This program was initiated by the Philadelphia Police and is also used by the Buffalo Police Department. The cameras that are registered in Philadelphia have resulted in 191 arrests in the past few years.

Disclaimer & Terms of Use

The goal of the Olean SafeWatch program is to promote public safety by the Olean Police Department in collaboration with the citizens of Olean . All registrants agree to the following terms and conditions:

  1. Any video material collected by the Olean Police Department related to criminal investigations can be used as evidence during any stage of a criminal proceeding.
  2. Video material provided to the Olean Police Department is reserved for official use.
  3. When necessary, the Olean Police Department will contact you directly using the information you have provided to obtain video surveillance footage from your system.
  4. Under no circumstances shall registrants construe they are acting as an agent or employee of the City of Olean and /or the Police Department.
  5. You will be assigned a Registrant ID number. Please refer to this number in any correspondence with the Olean Police Department.
  6. You agree not to release any video or picture images to media without consulting the Olean Police Department.

Submitting the following form means you have read the Disclaimer and agree to the Terms of Use.