Security Cameras Catch Criminals

Many advocates claim security cameras are ineffective weapons against crime. Despite the multitude of research studies that show reduced crime rates in regions under surveillance these few people are still not convinced. One study of car parking garages showed a 51% reduction of criminal acts. Security cameras are an integral part of police investigation and special police units are dedicated to their use. Often officers with special training are monitoring 50-60 cameras at a time in a single room, which can be a monotonous ordeal, as camera feeds rotate through monitors every 5 – 10 seconds. However, anti surveillance activists frequently point to situations and circumstances where these units failed to respond when a crime was being committed.

In one such example a woman was assaulted at knife point while inside her apartment building monitored by approximately 200 security cameras. She was forced into a stairwell where there were no cameras and raped. To use the horrendous nature of events like these to lobby against security cameras is unfounded. Cameras did not record the crime itself, but did observe the struggle in the hallways.

What are the alternatives? What would be fool proof? Greater physical presence of police and security guards? What are the chances security personel patrolling the grounds would have stumbled upon the crime in progress, especially since none of the residents heard or reported anything? If guards had missed the crime what options would police have to follow up with other than slowly taking the victims description of the suspect and developing a sketch.

While these are terribly unfortunate events, just because a crime is committed under surveillance does not mean there is a problem with cameras themselves. The presence of cameras and readily accessible digital footage frequently leads to a speedy arrest of the perpetrator. Since there are so many cameras on the streets and in buildings, many times police can retrace a criminal’s steps providing them with an excellent profile of the suspect or his identity. In the example above police were able to locate footage of the criminal approaching the building from a gas station across the street. Other cameras in the gas station spotted the assailant purchasing cigarettes with his credit card and obtained his identity. He was apprehended immediately. Video footage is excellent evidence of the crime and will likely lend for a speedy trial and conviction.

People are people and sadly they make mistakes. Improvements in security technology are vastly closing the human error gap with image recognition. These high tech surveillance cameras can recognize items such as a gun or knife, as well as suspicious behaviors and criminal acts such as vandalism and assault. Absolutely nothing should replace personal common sense. One should always be aware of their surroundings and never take personal safety for granted.

Advances in technology have brought about much higher quality cameras at reduced prices making it a viable option for almost any homeowner to have indoor and outdoor video surveillance. Wireless surveillance cameras are quickly becoming the popular choice since they are so easy to install. These cameras can be quickly installed since there are no holes to drill and wires to run. Monitored security systems will dispatch security agents and notify police immediately.



About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online provider of security cameras and wireless security cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.

New Required Security Cameras

The surveillance age as arrived. More people are installing home security cameras, businesses rely on them for security and quality control, and we are even seeing them in day cares and pet care facilities. And why not? Because of the advances in technology and affordability, almost anyone can enjoy the use of a few extra eyes. In fact, in a recent article from USA today, Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago proposed the addition of new surveillance cameras for the outsides of government buildings, train platforms, as well as intersections. Though other communities have already taken some similar steps across the nation, for the city of Chicago, this is a huge leap toward safety and security.

This ambitious mayor plans to require all bars that stay open until 4 am to install cameras to identify those who come and go and the same would go for any business that stays open longer than 12 hours in a day. Though this would be an excellent way to cut down on after hours crime and locate criminals at large, some civil liberties advocates are troubled by the prospect. Some believe it is time to have a public dialogue on the matter and send this kind of decision to the voting booths to determine how much public surveillance is really appropriate. The same thing is under consideration by the Baltimore County Council in Maryland where they have already ordered the installation of cameras in large malls and parking areas. This decision was quickly pushed through despite of many objections by local business groups, which was largely influenced by a murder that occurred in a parking garage last year. The argument is that railings, sprinkler systems, and help buttons are already required, why not surveillance?

Police forces are constantly trying to improve the safety of public areas by patrolling, but the fact remains that police officers cannot be in every place at once. Security cameras lend themselves perfectly to crime prevention and suspect apprehension by providing an unbiased recording or even real time display of people and actions. Many businesses that operate after normal business hours already believe in the value of security cameras or already have them installed, and they will have no trouble seeing the justification behind requiring video surveillance. As the technology increases, there are even cameras that use audio frequencies to alert police automatically if a gunshot is fired. Advances like this will make it easy for authorities to respond quickly to violent incidents, not only for the apprehension of suspects but possibly saving of lives.

Ultimately, the public will need to find the balance of security versus privacy. It seems such a waste not to utilize the technology we have to cut down on crime, but we must also be careful to consider the rights to privacy people living in the United States hold so dear. Chicago has proposed one of the most aggressive approaches to the implementation of surveillance, but it is just one of hundreds of cities believing that the implementation of more surveillance will only result in safer and better functioning communities.

About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online supplier of home security cameras and mini security cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.