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Terms of Service

Charm City Shield Community Safety Camera Network

Operated by Safe House Privacy LLC (d/b/a SHP Consulting)

Effective Date: March 29, 2026 | Last Updated: March 29, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Charm City Shield — including the websites at charmcityshield.com, lina.charmcityshield.com, and bhn.charmcityshield.com — or by submitting an incident report or footage request through any of these platforms (collectively, the “Service”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”).

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

These Terms form a legally binding agreement between you and Safe House Privacy LLC, a Maryland limited liability company doing business as SHP Consulting (“Safe House Privacy,” “SHP,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

2. What Charm City Shield Is — and Is Not

2.1 What Charm City Shield Is

Charm City Shield is a community-operated safety camera network platform serving Baltimore neighborhoods. SHP provides the technical infrastructure that makes the platform possible, including:

  • Camera hardware installation and ongoing maintenance
  • A platform for residents to submit incident reports and footage requests
  • Footage retrieval and delivery at the direction of authorized neighborhood safety committees

The platform is designed to support community-led safety efforts by connecting residents with their neighborhood's volunteer safety committee.

2.2 What Charm City Shield Is Not

Charm City Shield is not any of the following, and you should not rely on it as such:

  • Not an emergency service. Charm City Shield cannot dispatch help. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 immediately. Do not submit an incident report in lieu of calling emergency services.
  • Not a security monitoring company. SHP does not monitor cameras in real time. No one is watching live footage around the clock.
  • Not a surveillance or investigation service. SHP does not conduct investigations, surveil individuals, or analyze footage on behalf of users.
  • Not a law enforcement agency. SHP has no authority to detain, arrest, or compel any action by any individual or government agency.
  • Not a substitute for professional security services. The presence of cameras in a neighborhood does not guarantee safety, prevent crime, or protect any individual from harm.

3. The Neighborhood Safety Committee

Each participating neighborhood has a volunteer safety committee that operates independently of SHP. The safety committee is responsible for:

  • Reviewing submitted incident reports
  • Deciding whether to authorize the retrieval and release of footage
  • Determining whether to share information with Baltimore Police or other authorities

SHP does not make decisions about footage access or incident response. Those decisions rest entirely with the neighborhood safety committee. SHP's role is to provide the technical infrastructure and execute committee-authorized requests.

SHP is not responsible for the decisions, actions, inactions, or communications of any neighborhood safety committee.

4. User Responsibilities

By using the Service, you agree to the following:

4.1 Emergencies

You will call 911 for any emergency. You will not use the Service as a substitute for contacting emergency services.

4.2 Accurate Reporting

You will only submit reports for incidents you believe in good faith to have occurred. You will not submit false, fabricated, or misleading reports. You understand that submitting a false report may expose you to civil or criminal liability and that SHP may share report information with law enforcement.

4.3 No Harassment or Stalking

You will not use the Service to harass, intimidate, monitor, track, or stalk any individual. You will not submit reports targeting individuals based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

4.4 Accurate Contact Information

If you choose to submit a non-anonymous report, you will provide accurate contact information. You understand that your contact information may be shared with the neighborhood safety committee and, where appropriate, with law enforcement.

4.5 Lawful Use

You will use the Service only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with these Terms. You will not attempt to circumvent any security or access controls, interfere with the platform's operation, or access any portion of the platform that you are not authorized to use.

4.6 Age Requirement

You represent that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under 18, you may only use the Service with the direct supervision and consent of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.

5. Incident Reports

5.1 Submission and Routing

When you submit an incident report, it will be routed to the relevant neighborhood safety committee for review. Depending on the nature of the report and the committee's determination, information may also be shared with the Baltimore Police Department or other appropriate authorities.

5.2 No Guarantee of Action

Submitting an incident report does not guarantee that:

  • Any footage will be located, retrieved, or reviewed
  • Any action will be taken by the safety committee, SHP, or law enforcement
  • Your report will be acknowledged within any particular timeframe

5.3 Anonymous Reporting

The Service may offer the option to submit reports anonymously. Anonymous reports may limit the committee's ability to follow up or take action. SHP does not guarantee that anonymous submissions cannot be identified through other means.

5.4 False Reports

SHP reserves the right to flag, investigate, or refer to law enforcement any report that appears to be false, malicious, or submitted in bad faith. Repeated misuse of the platform may result in suspension or termination of your access to the Service.

6. Footage Requests

6.1 Footage Availability Is Not Guaranteed

Footage may be unavailable for many reasons, including but not limited to:

  • The relevant camera was offline or experiencing a technical issue at the time of the incident
  • The camera's field of view does not cover the location of the incident
  • The footage has been overwritten due to the applicable retention period having passed
  • The footage was corrupted or otherwise unrecoverable

SHP makes no guarantee that footage relevant to your incident exists or can be retrieved.

6.2 Footage Release Is at Committee Discretion

All decisions about whether to release footage are made exclusively by the neighborhood safety committee. SHP will not release footage without committee authorization, except as required by law.

6.3 Footage and Law Enforcement

Footage may be provided to the Baltimore Police Department or other law enforcement agencies pursuant to committee authorization or as required by applicable law (including valid legal process such as a subpoena or court order). By submitting a footage request, you acknowledge that footage — including footage relevant to your request — may be shared with law enforcement.

6.4 No Guarantee of Quality or Completeness

Even where footage is available and authorized for release, SHP does not guarantee that it will be of sufficient quality, resolution, angle, or completeness to be useful for your purposes.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranty of any kind.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, SHP expressly disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to:

  • Warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement
  • Any warranty that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or available at any particular time
  • Any warranty regarding camera uptime, footage availability, footage quality, or footage completeness
  • Any warranty that use of the Service will prevent crime, protect property, or ensure personal safety

The presence of cameras in a neighborhood does not guarantee that incidents will be captured, detected, or prevented.

8. Limitation of Liability

8.1 No Liability for Incidents or Outcomes

SHP is not liable for any incident, injury, property damage, or loss that occurs in an area covered by the camera network, regardless of whether footage of that incident was captured, retained, or released. The existence of the platform does not create any duty on SHP's part to prevent harm to any person or property.

8.2 No Liability for Report or Footage Outcomes

SHP is not liable for any action taken — or not taken — by any person, safety committee, or law enforcement agency based on an incident report or footage provided through the Service.

8.3 Exclusion of Consequential Damages

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, SHP, its members, officers, employees, contractors, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of — or inability to use — the Service, even if SHP has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

8.4 Liability Cap

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, SHP's total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed fifty dollars ($50.00) or the total amount you have paid to SHP in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, whichever is greater.

8.5 Essential Basis

You acknowledge that the limitations of liability in this Section reflect a reasonable allocation of risk and are an essential basis of the agreement between you and SHP. SHP would not provide the Service on the terms set forth herein without these limitations.

9. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Safe House Privacy LLC and its members, officers, employees, contractors, partners, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:

  • Your use of or access to the Service
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Any incident report you submit, including any report that is false, misleading, or submitted in bad faith
  • Your violation of any third party's rights, including privacy, defamation, or harassment claims
  • Any content or information you submit through the Service

SHP reserves the right to assume exclusive control of the defense of any matter for which you are required to indemnify SHP, at your expense. You agree to cooperate with SHP's defense of such claims.

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 Ownership

The Charm City Shield platform, including its design, source code, user interface, branding, logos, and all associated content created by SHP, is owned by Safe House Privacy LLC and is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

10.2 Limited License

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, SHP grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for its intended purpose of submitting incident reports and footage requests within your neighborhood.

10.3 Restrictions

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, or exploit any portion of the Service without SHP's prior written consent. You may not use SHP's trademarks or branding in any manner that could cause confusion or imply an affiliation or endorsement that does not exist.

10.4 Neighborhood Association Names and Branding

Neighborhood association names, logos, and related branding that appear on the platform are used under partnership agreements with the respective neighborhood associations and remain the property of those associations. Nothing in these Terms grants you any rights in such names or branding.

10.5 Your Submissions

By submitting an incident report, footage request, or any other content through the Service, you grant SHP a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, store, process, and share that content as necessary to operate the Service, including sharing with neighborhood safety committees and, where applicable, law enforcement. You represent that you have the right to submit any content you provide.

11. Privacy

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. The Privacy Policy describes how SHP collects, uses, and shares information about you when you use the Service. By using the Service, you consent to the data practices described in the Privacy Policy.

12. Modifications to the Service and These Terms

12.1 Changes to the Service

SHP reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time, with or without notice. SHP shall not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service.

12.2 Changes to These Terms

SHP may update these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this document and, where feasible, provide notice through the Service or by email.

Your continued use of the Service after any changes to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Service.

13. Termination

SHP reserves the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, for any reason, including if SHP reasonably believes you have violated these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately.

Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 7 (Disclaimer of Warranties), 8 (Limitation of Liability), 9 (Indemnification), 10 (Intellectual Property), 14 (Governing Law), and 15 (Severability) — shall survive any termination or expiration of these Terms.

14. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Baltimore City, Maryland. You consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in those courts.

15. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable under applicable law, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or, if it cannot be modified, severed from these Terms. The remaining provisions of these Terms shall continue in full force and effect.

16. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies or agreements expressly incorporated herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and SHP regarding your use of the Service. They supersede all prior or contemporaneous agreements, representations, and understandings relating to the same subject matter.

No waiver of any provision of these Terms shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of that provision or any other provision.

17. Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms or the Service, please contact us:

Safe House Privacy LLC (d/b/a SHP Consulting)

Baltimore, Maryland

Email: support@safehouseprivacy.com

Phone: 443-808-0745

Website: charmcityshield.com