National Police Week 2024 is taking place across Canada, as we recognize the many contributions Police make to our communities.
What is National Police Week?
National Police Week is a public awareness campaign held every year that recognizes the positive impact Police have in our communities. First established in 1970, it coincides with Peace Officers Memorial Day, which recognizes those who have given their lives in service of the greater good (1). This year’s National Police Week takes place from May 12th to May 18th, and is built around the mantra:
“Committed to Serve Together”
Police play a large role in our communities beyond crime prevention – from public safety and traffic initiatives, to assisting in emergency situations, to partnering with leaders & organizations to build more unified communities, & to create safer neighbourhoods across the country. We rely on them to maintain public order, and to provide leadership and stability in times of crisis. (2)
“The community wants and expects the police to keep them safe. To residents, we are the police. They do not differentiate between patches or names, but simply want one thing – for us to keep them safe and well. Police services across the country are joined in achieving this goal – we are "committed to serve" in communities across the country. Collectively, and with other first responders, social and community organizations, we achieve this 24/7/365. Our teams are committed to working towards a stronger, safer, brighter future for all.”
– Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (1)
How do we assist Police?
Our continuing mission is to deter criminals before they strike, before dispatching Police. However, there are incidents and circumstances where we will call upon Law Enforcement Officers to intervene. Our Live Remote Video Monitoring service is dedicated to crime prevention, and through our powerful Video Security Units, our team issue proactive deterrents to warn off criminals before involving Police in any incident.
We leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence to detect would-be criminals when they enter into camera view – differentiating human movement from other movement and objects on-site. Our skilled Monitoring team use high-resolution cameras that allow them to track situations in real-time. Stationary cameras create perimeter coverage, while dedicated PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) cameras can be zoomed in on important details – suspects, locations, and behaviour. Our proactive deterrents, such as authoritative voice commands and bright LED strobe lights, inform individuals that the site is off-limits and protected. If criminals don’t respond to our deterrents, Police will be dispatched to the scene and our team will help direct them to locate the individuals on-site.
Calls made by our Monitoring team from our UL Certified Monitoring facility are treated as “crimes in progress” by Police dispatch, resulting in faster arrival times by responding officers.
Our daily collaboration with Police helps to deter crime
When we do call upon Police to intervene on-site, we work together to deter various forms of crime – including trespassing, vandalism, and theft. These types of instances are a regular occurrence in our Monitoring Facility:
Trespassers Caught On Dangerous Construction Site
Three individuals trespassed onto an active construction site and used a ladder to climb up to dangerous heights. Our Monitoring team tracked the situation in real-time, alerting Police to their whereabouts. Thankfully the individuals did not incur injury, but they were met below by Police who swiftly apprehended them.
Suspect Caught Red-Handed on Critical Infrastructure Site
A suspect was captured on camera attempting to steal valuable copper wire from a hydro site. When they ignored the proactive deterrents issued by our Monitoring team, Police were called to the scene. The suspect attempted to escape through the main gate of the property, but was instead greeted by Police who apprehended them.
Trespasser at Commercial Property is Caught on Camera
An individual trespassed onto a nearly finished commercial property and entered one of the units after-hours. Our Monitoring team tracked the situation the entire time, and when the suspect didn’t desist – Police were called to the scene. They located the suspect inside the unit and sent them on their way with a warning not to return.
Investigations
Our collaboration with law enforcement continues even after an incident has concluded – we also provide high quality footage for Police investigations, if needed. Our Investigations team can pull footage from any-site we protect, and the footage can be combined with eyewitness testimony and other forms of evidence to strengthen court cases. Our high-resolution footage is also utilized beyond our clients’ site protection – it can also be used if our cameras capture an incident in the local community, such as theft or robbery.
Court Testimony
Our Monitoring and Investigations team can also be called to testify in court and assist law enforcement with prosecuting a case. Legal teams and judges may not be familiar with Live Remote Video Monitoring and how it works. Our team can speak to how our proprietary technology functions, and provide additional context as to how the footage was recorded, and what occurred during the incident in question. Their expertise can provide clarity and perspective to court cases, and assist our Legal System with bringing criminals to justice.
We value our continuing collaboration with Police, in loyal service of our communities and the greater good. This National Police Week, we offer our sincere appreciation to Police for their selfless commitment to creating a safer world.
Resources:
- “National Police Week 2024”, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
- “25 Ways Police Officers Serve Their Communities”, Walden University