Citizen will share crime videos with the NYPD: What it Means for New Yorkers

New Yorkers using the Citizen app will now see a significant upgrade in how public safety is handled. Through a new partnership with the city, public agencies—including the NYPD, Fire Department, and Emergency Management—will be able to view and access crime-related videos shared by app users. The initiative aims to enhance community safety by delivering real-time alerts and improving coordination between citizens and law enforcement. With the Citizen app sharing crime videos with the NYPD, users may now be wondering what this means for their privacy, safety, and control over their content.

Citizen app sharing crime videos with the NYPD: A two-way partnership

This collaboration works both ways. The Citizen app won’t just allow law enforcement access to public videos—it will also push out alerts from city agencies to users based on their neighborhood or ZIP code. Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that a new NYC Public Safety account will send out real-time notifications about emergencies, crime events, and even weather updates. Citizen’s integration with Axon’s Fusus platform—a real-time crime center solution—makes it possible for verified government agencies to tap into this public data stream quickly and efficiently.

How the Fusus platform and Citizen partnership enhances surveillance

Axon, known for acquiring the Fusus platform in 2023, has been expanding its surveillance and video-sharing capabilities. The platform already enables police to access Ring security camera footage within specific areas and timeframes. Now, with the Citizen app feeding crime videos to the NYPD, the reach is extended. While users can opt out of having their content directly shared with agencies, all public posts remain accessible for viewing or download. This raises questions about user control, but also offers a new channel for potentially lifesaving footage to reach first responders faster.

Privacy and transparency in Citizen’s video-sharing process

Although the intent is to improve city-wide safety and rapid incident response, the update introduces privacy considerations. Users concerned about how their shared content is used can opt out via the app's settings. However, Citizen notes that once a video is public, it remains downloadable. For users sharing safety alerts or live-streaming incidents, knowing that crime videos from the Citizen app go to the NYPD may influence what and how they post. Transparency about these changes, paired with the app’s promise of user control, will likely be key to building continued trust.