INDIANAPOLIS — As the City of Indianapolis continues to work on reducing crime, $500,000 is being set aside to help equip small businesses with b-link cameras.
The B-link program allows personal and business security cameras to join a network of live-stream video access for IMPD to utilize in the event of a crime or incident in the vicinity.
“The use of b-link, the city cameras and other technology has become a big part of our investigative process and our solve rate has increased absolutely over time,” said IMPD Deputy Chief Joshua Barker.
Currently, 33 businesses have more than 120 cameras registered. The programlaunched in 2019. The cameras are intended to reduce the amount of time it takes to get footage from cameras to investigators.
When someone calls 911, officers will be able to watch the incident as it happens —providing more information for first responders and ideally leading to quicker arrests.
In a press release the City of Indianapolis says thanks to a $3.5 million partnership with Downtown Indy, Inc., an additional $75,000 in b-link grants will be available specifically for Downtown small businesses.
“We’ve had 3 or 4 occasions where this system has been utilized where we have been able to assist IMPD in identifying those criminals,” Jason Benish with Huse Culinary said.
Huse Culinary owns restaurants like St. Elmo Steak House and Harry and Izzy’s. The restaurants are a part of the B-link camera program.
Businesses can also connect already in-service security cameras or apply to offset the cost of camera installation through the b-link Pro program
For more information about the program or to apply for funding, click here.
