EPHRATA - Ephrata joined a website aimed at helping police identify suspects, witnesses and other persons of interest.

The city council approved an agreement with CanYouID.me, a website created for Washington state police investigators to post photographs of people they can't identify.

Ephrata police Detective Todd Hufman explained the program to the council, saying it was created by a detective from the Lake Forest Park Police Department.

"Right now we don't really have a statewide system to put photos into," he said. "We can ask the Grant County Jail or surrounding agencies. Other than that (we can) post it in the newspaper."

The hope is the public and other law enforcement agencies will look at the photos on the website and help identify the people, he said. About 30 agencies participate, including the Grant County Sheriff's Office, Spokane County Sheriff's Office and the Pullman Police Department.

"Posting photos on this website would be just like posting photos or names in the paper or any other media, trying to identify or locate the suspect or person of interest," Hufman said.

Hufman is the only person at Ephrata police authorized to post photographs, he said. When it's placed on the website it's identified by the case number and directs people to contact the investigator if they can identify the picture.

"I'm here today to ask you to approve adding the CanYouID.me website link to the city website," he said. "I think posting a link to the city's website would be beneficial in solving crimes that would otherwise go unsolved."

In response to concerns from councilmembers, Hufman contacted the city's insurance agents and City Attorney Katherine Kenison, he said.

Councilmembers Bruce Reim and Kathleen Allstot questioned in a previous meeting whether the website might raise issues with confidentiality.

After explaining the website, Canfield and Associates and Kenison didn't find any issues with posting pictures to the website, Hufman said.

"They said, 'It was no different than putting the picture or the name in the paper,'" Hufman said.

Reim said he understood when it came to placing suspects' pictures on the website, but he was concerned about witnesses and persons of interest.

"If I was a witness to something, and all the sudden my picture is up on the website, I would be very concerned about that," he said. "It's a great program. I'm all for it, but I just want to make sure the bugs have been knocked out of it."

City Administrator Wes Crago pointed out the police department distributes photographs in the same way the website does without the website.

"The process that they're talking about functions different, but the process is the same for what we're currently doing right now with law enforcement," he said.

Mayor Chris Jacobson said he's sympathetic toward people's civil rights, but he's more interested in catching criminals.

"So if there are people out there who can help catch the bad guys and this is the method that they need, I hope that this council (would approve joining,)" he said.