Bogota at a security inflection point as the C4 adds 1,200 new monitoring points

bogota is expanding the city’s security monitoring network after Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán invited residents to connect private cameras to the Centro de Comando, Control, Comunicaciones y Cómputo (C4) under the Secretariat of Security, alongside the addition of 1, 200 new monitoring points tied to the Secretariat of Mobility’s system.

What happens when Bogota connects more private cameras to the C4?

Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán framed the push as a way to increase real-time visibility across the city and strengthen the operational capacity of the Public Force. His message to residents was direct: connect cameras from homes, businesses, or neighborhoods to the city’s command-and-control center so there are “more eyes” on the streets at any given moment, enabling a better response capability during a criminal incident and providing additional tools to the Police to investigate and capture offenders.

The mayor also described the type of equipment the city can incorporate into monitoring and investigative work: any color camera facing the street with more than two megapixels can be suitable. The underlying idea is scale—adding more viewpoints to narrow criminals’ room to operate in bogota while improving the city’s ability to reconstruct events through recorded video.

What changes after a 33% rise in cameras and longer video retention?

Galán said that since his administration began in 2024, 1, 700 privately owned cameras have been connected to the C4. In addition, during a Thursday session dated March 5, another 1, 200 points were added from the Secretariat of Mobility’s monitoring system. He stated that the total number of cameras connected to the C4 has increased by 33%.

Beyond growth in connected feeds, the mayor highlighted a second operational shift: video storage time has doubled, moving from 90 days to 180 days. That change matters for investigations that depend on retrieving footage after an incident and for reviewing patterns that may emerge over time. While the city did not provide further technical detail in the available information, the stated intent is clear—make footage available for longer periods so investigations have a wider window for review.

What if video analytics turns review from hours into minutes?

The mayor announced the implementation of a video analytics tool that can review any video accessible to the C4 and detect situations of insecurity, improper handling of trash, or other relevant events. He described the practical impact in terms of time: what previously took a person hours to analyze can now be done in seconds, or at most minutes.

In his description, the tool can help identify the time and place where risk situations occur, enabling faster reaction and supporting investigations intended to lead to the capture of criminals. The city’s messaging positions this as a step-change in how quickly footage can be turned into actionable leads—shifting from manual review to rapid detection within the C4’s accessible video environment.

The developments reflect a combined approach: expanding the number of connected cameras while upgrading the speed at which video can be searched and interpreted. The mayor’s framing emphasizes faster response to incidents and more effective investigative support for Police operations in bogota.