San Jose councilman Sam Liccardo has proposed that homeowners can voluntarily register their security cameras for a new police department database, which would theoretically help police solve more crimes promptly, according to The Huffington Post.

The proposal was revealed following several arson investigations, during which property owners willingly offered their home security videos to help police identify the arsonist, who had burned town a dozen buildings, the article says. Costs for the database would be minimal, as it would be managed by pre-existing city technology employees.

Through the system, police would remotely gain access into participating homeowners’ digital camera feeds.

A similar program is in use in Philadelphia – nearly 600 businesses and residents have signed up for the SafeCam program, which has led to 200 arrests based on video footage, The Huffington Post reports. Also similar is the Sheriff's Electronic Eye (SEE) program recently implemented in Sacramento.