Richmond City Council considers paying residents to install security cameras to assist police

Councilwoman Kristen Larson proposed an amendment to the city’s budget that would create a $50,000 pilot program and pay up to $100 per participating resident. Under the program, residents would install a camera and agree to share footage with police. As many as 500 people could apply for a write-off.

“At the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is have more eyes on the street, and this is an easy way to incentivize it for residents and help the police have more resources to do their job more efficiently,” said Larson, who co-chairs the council’s Public Safety Standing Committee.

Footage provided by residents and businesses has helped Richmond police solve cases, Police Chief Alfred Durham said.

The Richmond Police Department has installed 16 cameras in the past six months in Shockoe Bottom and in some public housing communities in an effort to dissuade crime and make arrests, he added.

Durham said he was open to Larson’s idea and that he knew of at least two other cities that had similar programs, Detroit and the District of Columbia.

“It wasn’t part of the mayor’s budget, but I would like to make sure we do our homework, make sure we’re making an investment in something we know is good,” said Durham, adding that he expected there would be costs associated with what Larson proposed beyond paying the homeowners for installing the cameras.

At a budget work session Monday, the proposed amendment was met with questions from council members who said they wanted more details about how the program would be administered.

Council President Chris Hilbert questioned whether the program would have an unintended consequence.

“It seems like to me this would be a public safety issue relative to making these applications public and someone knowing where the cameras are, avoiding that area, and pushing issues and problems to other areas,” Hilbert said.

Councilwoman Reva Trammell, who represents the 8th District, said she wanted more information before taking a position on the proposed amendment, but added she was concerned that publicizing who received money through the program could lead to retaliation against residents who opt in.

Larson said she had not sorted out the details but was working with the city attorney on the idea.

Council members did not advance Larson’s budget amendment during Monday’s work session, where they continued to receive presentations from city departments as part of a review of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s proposed $715.2 million general fund budget.

To date, the council has advanced $2.29 million worth of increases to various city departments and proposed $1.9 million in cuts. The council is expected to approve the final budget in May. Council members will next weigh Larson’s proposed amendment at a work session scheduled for Monday.