DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — If you live in Derry Township, Dauphin County, police need your help.
“They are our eyes and ears when we can’t be there," said Chief Garth Warner of the Derry Township Police Department. "We can’t be everywhere at one time.”
The department wants residents and business owners who have any kind of video surveillance on their property to register those devices with its camera registry.
The system has been in place for several years, but officers are hoping more people will register.
“We don’t have access to the camera systems, we don’t want access to the camera systems but we want access to the person that manages that system," explained Chief Warner.
In this day and age, he says technology is playing a crucial part in solving a lot of criminal investigations, and every new vantage point officers can find helps.
“We rely on people to give us information to help solve these crimes," added Chief Warner. "If they see something happening, we want them to let us know.”
The Antique Automobile Club of America sits at the intersection of Hersheypark Drive and N. Hockersville Road.
The club's CEO says their surveillance camera footage was recently just used by police to help with a major accident investigation.
“Lo and behold, we had footage that proved how the accident happened so it certainly was valuable to the Derry Township Police Department," said Steve Moskowitz, CEO of the Antique Automobile Club of America.
Moskowitz says he doesn’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to do their part.
“It’s for their protection, it’s for protection of fellow citizens and anything we can do to make police work more community-friendly, more helpful, that’s what we ought to be doing," he said.
So far, Derry Township police say there are about two dozen devices registered, which means there are a lot more out there in the town of about 25,000 people.
“Not only are they helping themselves out by installing these systems and having that information but they’re helping their community out," said Chief Warner.
Derry Township residents can register their devices through the department's website.
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