SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is donating $100,000 for small businesses to connect their security cameras to real-time monitoring by the San Jose Police Department.

A press release from the county said the pilot program aims to equip at least 200 businesses with high-tech security systems. When a security system at a business in the program is tripped, the technology allows SJPD to patch into the business' surveillance cameras to see the crime in progress, get descriptions of the suspects and their vehicles, and relay that information to responding officers.

The department can also use automated license plate recognition cameras to identify the vehicles.

"Our small businesses are under threat. Organized retail theft gangs are terrorizing our comm

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