From David Richie:
Taking a cue from banks and businesses, more residents are hooking up home surveillance gear to scan property and catch crooks in the act.
Recently Roseville police released photos of two burglary suspects caught in the act. The man (see bottom of this story) and the woman (left) allegedly broke into a residence north of Highway 65, near the Roseville-Rocklin border.
On home surveillance video, recorded at 10:38 a.m. Oct. 20 in the 6100 block of Grand Canyon Drive, the suspects were seen using the homeowner's own luggage to haul off laptop computers, jewelry and clothing, said Dee Dee Gunther, Roseville police spokeswoman.
A similar video helped Roseville investigators crack a car burglary case last summer. In that incident, police released a lengthy clip depicting a man and a woman ransacking a sport-utility vehicle in east Roseville.
"The resident left his vehicle unlocked, but he a had pretty good system mounted in his driveway," Gunther said. (To see the video, click here.)
Other suburban police agencies have not had the success enjoyed by Roseville police, but they've noticed the trend.
"There seem to be more homes out there with home surveillance cameras," said Officer Michelle Beattie, Folsom Police Department spokeswoman. "It is potentially a very valuable tool."
Her best recent example is a "clear picture" of a vehicle Folsom investigators have linked to a recent residential burglary.
More homeowners are likely to arm themselves with the relatively low-cost systems - as little as a couple hundred dollars - available at retail outlets, Beattie said.
The problem for local police is that many photos taken by home surveillance cameras are of poor quality. If the picture is blurred or the camera is not mounted in a good position, the images are not of much use, Beattie said.
Surveillance equipment was discussed last month during a presentation by Citrus Heights police officers at a community meeting on a recent rash of tire slashing.
Problem-oriented policing specialists Ryan Kinnan and Alexi Fanopoulos also are leading Citrus Heights' resurgent Neighborhood Watch movement. The officers noted that new watch groups also can pool money and then mount a surveillance camera in a strategic location.
"I've already bought my system," said one resident in the audience.
He told the officers that he lost tools worth thousands of dollars recently when his work truck was looted in his driveway.
Businesses also are hearing from more residents interested in installation of surveillance equipment, especially with the recent advances in "IP camera" - technology that can be hooked up to home computer systems.
"The cost has gone down, and it is relatively easy to do," said Leon Soohoo, co-owner of Paradyme Sound & Vision.
Surveillance equipment is not his company's main product, but homeowners will often request it as part of larger projects like installation of a home theater system, Soohoo said.
The equipment can have many applications, especially when combined with motion detectors. It allows homeowners to scan for suspicious activity while still safe inside their homes. Parents with small children also may place a camera near a sensitive location like the backyard swimming pool, Soohoo said.
He recently experienced the crime-stopper applications of his own equipment when Paradyme's Sacramento store was burglarized. The culprits walked throughout the store, evidently oblivious to the cameras.
The photos were broadcast via local news outlets. Paradyme immediately got an anonymous call that led to the arrests of the suspected burglars.
"They did not even cover their faces," Soohoo said.
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