New York City Mayor Adams announced the launch of a pilot program called “Connect New York” on May 16th to combat retail theft. The initiative encourages businesses to connect their surveillance cameras to the local police precinct system, enabling law enforcement to intervene in crimes in real time.
Mayor Adams, along with Police Commissioner Caban, held a press conference in the 125th Street Business Improvement District in Harlem, Manhattan to kick off the pilot program. Adams stated that rampant retail theft harms businesses, employees, customers, and the entire city. The program incentivizes businesses to link their internal security cameras to the respective police precincts, allowing authorities to gather real-time crime information, swiftly apprehend criminals, enhance case-solving efficiency, and improve the quality of community life.
The video integration platform for this program is operated by the public safety technology company Fusus. Private enterprises can voluntarily choose to participate by integrating their store’s security cameras and connecting them to the local police precinct system. This setup enables precincts to pinpoint the locations of cameras and access camera footage in real time, thereby preventing retail theft and other crimes proactively, as well as responding rapidly and investigating effectively post-incident. Additionally, the police department is exploring the feasibility of connecting residential security cameras to the Fusus platform.
The Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and the New York City Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center have been collaborating with Fusus since June 2023. The feasibility verification of this initiative was launched in the 109th precinct in Flushing, with 35 businesses participating from Flushing and College Point. Following a successful 60-day validation period, the program expanded to nine precincts across all five boroughs, prompting Mayor Adams to decide on a comprehensive pilot. Dian Song Yu, the Executive Director of the Flushing Business Improvement District, expressed gratitude during the press conference for the selection of Flushing as the initial pilot area. He highlighted this project as an excellent example of public-private collaboration to maintain community safety.
Businesses interested in participating in the “Connect New York” program or seeking more information can visit the police department’s website at: https://newyorkcityconnect.org/