NEW ORLEANS -- Private security cameras dot the landscape. It's become a sign of the times in the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans.
Tuesday, a crew installed a new state of the art, high-resolution camera system at Ed Pluta's home on Burgundy Street.
"It's just the security factor," Pluta said. "It's the sanctity. It's the safety. It's just feeling good within the confines of your own home that you can see what's going on know what's happening without having to put yourself out in harms way."
Over the past two weeks, detectives from the NOPD's 8th District went door to door in the Marigny, asking people to register their crime cameras with the city's SafeCam NOLA program. It gives police up-to-date contact information for residents and businesses with working cameras.
NOPD Commander Jeff Walls said that just last month, private cameras helped identify the three men responsible for a series of armed robberies in the Marigny.
"It just helps us so much more with being able to quickly obtain descriptions, put out perpetrator information, it's just another tool for us," Walls said. "It's an eye on the street, 24 hours a day."
Jeff Bromberger owns The Maison, a live music venue on Frenchman Street. He's one of 60 people who recently registered with SafeCam NOLA.
"Detectives came by and I honestly wasn't aware of the program," Bromberger said. "As soon as they told us about the program, to me it made perfect sense."
Back on Burgundy Street, Pluta said police are welcome to his video, but he still has reservations about registering his cameras.
"I don't want to be part of a registry," Pluta said. "I don't know how they would use it."
Walls responded by saying the program is strictly voluntary and police won't access any video without the owner's permission.
"This just gives us the ability to contact them," Walls said. "We're not going into their computer. We're not doing anything like that."
Bromberger called it a no-brainer.
"As much as we have a police force that's not to the size we should have, why not take any step we can to help," Bromberger said.
According to the NOPD, so far more than 3,400 cameras at about 1,000 properties are registered in the SafeCam database.
To register your security cameras, regardless of where you live in the city, visit SafeCam NOLA.
Click "Register Now" in the upper left side of the screen and it takes you directly to the online form.