Somerset Police announce new “Shepherds Watch” program

SOMERSET, Ky. (WTVQ) — It’s no surprise security cameras play a big role in solving crimes.

“We were able to locate and track the movements of her killer through video surveillance,” says Somerset Police Captain Mike Correll. He’s talking about the slaying of Carolyn New, back in August 2017.

She was found dead inside the Denham Street Baptist Church which is one of the first organizations to enroll in a new program by the Somerset Police Department.

The “Shepherds Watch” program aims to prevent crime through a partnership between police and the community.

“We want to compile a list of every security camera in somerset that’s business-owned, residential-owned, whatever the case may be,” says Captain Correll.

He says this list will help police officers locate cameras that may have captured the movements of criminals, missing persons, or anything else crucial to an investigation.

“We will not have remote access to anybody’s cameras,” says Captain Correll. “We will still have to come to your location and look at the video footage, under your supervision, under your direction and only with your permission.”

Denham Street Baptist Church’s pastor Jeff Griffith says as soon as he heard of the program, he knew he wanted to enroll.

“I think it’s going to be a great thing for our community,” says Pastor Griffith. “Makes everybody safer, churches and neighborhoods.”

The pastor says the tragic event that took place at his church led them to realize the necessity of security cameras.

“I mean we’ve got over 16 cameras on our facility,” says Pastor Griffith. “And that doesn’t cover every inch of it but it’s kind of like the more people that are watching, the more safer you feel.”

You can enroll in the program at www.somersetpd.com. Just click on the “Shepherds Watch” logo.