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Warman’s mayor knew doorbell cameras were getting more popular.
He didn’t expect to see the videos in his inbox.
“I started getting a few emails with people sending me videos of cars going in front of their house, or a dog going across their lawn, or a cat going across their lawn,” Gary Philipchuk told Saskatoon Morning host Candice Lipski.
“It was like they wanted something done, and some of them were even posting it online.”
Philipchuk said local social media pages are seeing an increase of grainy video clips captured on home surveillance cameras. That has placed the city of around 13,000, which is roughly 25 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, in a broader debate about the increasingly prevalent home security systems.
“It’s almost a bit of a ‘gotcha’ moment, instead of some way of finding a solution to find a better way of handling the situation,” he said.
The mayor said the cameras have their place in warding off criminals and recording important information, but said people should think before they post videos online.
WATCH | Think before sharing doorbell camera videos, mayor urges:
Think twice before you post doorbell camera footage online, Sask. mayor says
Doorbell cams and security systems can help people keep their homes safe and possibly even deter crime. But the footage is also being used in another way: to call people out on social media. Warman’s mayor weighed in on the trend.
Philipchuk said crimes should be reported to the proper authorities and that many disputes can be resolved neighbour-to-neighbour.
“When it gets to shaming a person, like a delivery driver going across the lawn, maybe there’s a better way to handle that than posting a video of it,” he said.
The mayor said he isn’t interested in bringing in bylaws related to the issue and simply wants to speak out on the proper use of the cameras.
The technology is on the rise more broadly. The Saskatoon Police Service has a registry through which police can contact people and businesses with video needed for investigations.
Robert Buchanan, the security consultant for TS SureLock Security, sees the rising demand for this technology in the Saskatoon homes he helps install it in.
“Everyone seems to want them these days. Doesn’t matter the area of the city, there’s always a need for it we find,” he said.
Buchanan said he believes more than half the Saskatoon homes the company services are looking for surveillance technology, as opposed to only traditional alarm systems.
He believes more people have been interested in home surveillance cameras for the past few years, as people are more worried about crime — and missing packages.
WATCH | Saskatoon police want to know more about people’s security cameras:
Could your doorbell camera help solve a crime? Saskatoon police want to know more about security cams
Do you have a doorbell camera? It might be able to help solve a crime. At least that’s what Saskatoon police are hoping, as they want to know more about people’s security cameras in the event they need it.
“A lot of people who have security systems already, we find that they’re inquiring more often about things like doorbell cameras,” Buchanan said.
He said technology has improved, allowing for notifications specific to animals and people, or the option of blacking out areas for privacy.