Security equipment rebates aim to boost community safety
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Chicago is offering residents and businesses rebates on security cameras, cloud storage and GPS-based vehicle trackers.
To promote safety through increased visibility, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, police officials and community leaders announced a rebate program that will reimburse residents and business owners for some of the costs for surveillance cameras and other security equipment.
The rebate program is open to anyone who lives or operates a business in the city and is part of a wider announcement of city-led initiatives designed to increase visibility in Chicago’s neighborhoods. Lightfoot noted a disparity in security technologies between the city’s more affluent neighborhoods and the communities “with a long history of violent crime,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The Home and Business Protection Rebate Program – through which residents can apply for the rebates on cameras and other security equipment – will cover up to $225 per camera for a total of $450, according Tamara Mahal, Chief Coordination Officer with the Community Safety Coordination Center. The program will allow residents or business owners to choose less expensive cameras to secure multiple entrances.
“You’ll also be eligible for certain subscription costs for the first year of cloud-based subscription,” Mahal said. “For lighting, you’ll be eligible for up to $100 per light. And for vehicular tracking devices, you’ll be eligible for up to $50 per device and up to one year’s subscription costs,” the Sun-Times reported.
To be eligible for rebates, residents and business owners must register their cameras with the Chicago Police Department. The city states that the police will not have direct access to camera systems and will need to contact camera owners to request footage. Furthermore, community members are at no point required to provide footage to the department.
Those who have already set up private security systems can register their cameras, but they will not qualify for any rebates, the release said.
More information about the Home and Business Protection Rebate Program will be made available after the selection of a third-party administrator to help launch the program.
"Through these bold new initiatives, all of our residents can play a critical role in keeping our communities safe," Lightfoot said. "By increasing visibility on our blocks through lights and cameras and getting guns out of the hands of dangerous people, we will empower residents with the necessary tools to build a safer city for us all.”