Four Compelling Crimes Solved Thanks To Security Cameras

• March 27, 2015
• by Carlos Lopez

The exact number is unknown, but market research estimates that approximately 30 million surveillance cameras are keeping a watchful eye on street corners, businesses, and private homes alike. Though some may attribute the watchful eyes with a society as depicted by George Orwell’s 1984, they can’t argue against the compelling results. Research appears to show that crime dips as the camera rolls. These four cases are solid proof of that statement.

Modern Day Cattle-Rustlers Caught On Camera

Ed Davis, a farmer from Auburndale, Florida had been plagued relentlessly by cattle rustlers. On one incident they were even brazen enough to pick off heads of cattle from one pasture while police stood guard over the other. The unfortunate farmer noticed that in December of 2011, nearly a dozen of his Hereford cattle had gone missing and contacted the authorities. An around the clock guard was set up for the remaining cattle, and luckily Davis didn’t lose any more that night. No substantial clues or evidence were found at the site, but the case later broke open thanks to surveillance camera footage showing a white truck running a red light at 3AM on the night of the crime. The truck was pulling a cattle trailer, with cows bearing the same distinctive markings as that of a Hereford. Detectives soon figured out the truck was a 1989 Dodge pickup owned by Andres Trujillo, who had a criminal record of cattle rustling. Authorities in a neighboring county alerted the head of the case of Yoinel DeVera-Gutierrez, who was wanted for similar charges. Further investigation was done, and the two-man cattle rustling team was arrested and charged. You can read more about this story here.

Group Identified From Video Footage And Charged With Assault

A group of friends walking down a Philadelphia street are caught on camera seeming to have a great time. However, their antics soon turn violent when they confront two gay men also out for a walk. They taunt the men more and more aggressively, with the incident eventually spiraling into punches and kicks. The attack left the two men robbed and one with a broken jaw and black eye. The story about the attack sparked outrage all across social media outlets. The accompanying video of the group responsible bounced from one media outlet to another until a photo surfaced of a similarly dressed group. Internet detectives stepped in and studied the picture and video closely, before finally identifying the suspects. The members of the group were arrested and charged with assault and conspiracy. The internet detectives who pieced it all together received a shout out from the police department. You can read the full story here.

The Abduction Of Carlesha Freeland-Gaither

Surveillance cameras on a Philadelphia street caught sight of an old Ford Taurus pulling into a parking place. Seconds later, a young woman is grabbed from behind and forced into the vehicle to be driven off by the suspect. Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, a 22-year-old nursing assistant, struggled to free herself, going so far as to kick out the windows of the vehicle but to no avail. The footage was released to the public soon after, catching the interest of a group of detectives located far south of Philly. They were on the hunt for a violent offender by the name of Delvin Barnes who had ties to an abduction and assault case. On a hunch, the team showed the footage to Barnes’ father, who identified the Taurus as his son’s car. Furthermore, detectives noticed the vehicle had decals from a dealership that had a history of installing GPS devices in the cars of customers with bad credit. The GPS unit was activated and led police to a shopping center parking lot in Jessup, Maryland, where Barnes surrendered without a fight. Freeland-Gaither was injured but intact and returned to her family. You can read more about this story here.

The Unnecessary Shooting Of Levar Jones

Street corners and dealerships aren’t the only places that benefit from security cameras. In September of 2014, Levar Jones was pulled over at a gas station for a routine seatbelt violation that ended up going horribly wrong. The entire incident was captured on tape by the highway patrolman’s dashcam in his cruiser. When highway patrolman Sean Groubert asked for Jone’s license, he leaned into his truck to retrieve it. Suddenly, Groubert drew his weapon and demanded Jones get out of his vehicle, then immediately opened fire as he turned around. Jones, stunned, stepped backwards with his hands in the air but fell to the ground with a shot to his hip, asking “Why did you shoot me, sir?” The incident was all caught on film and gathered immediate controversy. It was reviewed, and Groubert was fired and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, while facing 20 years in prison. You can read the full story here.

Of course, all of these solved crimes have security cameras in common. Installing a monitoring system in your home provides you not only with round the clock surveillance of your home or property, but rock solid evidence in the event of a break in or theft. As these stories show, video surveillance can make all the difference when it comes to solving a case and bringing the suspect to justice. If a surveillance system can provide results like these, imagine what it can do for your home or property. To learn more, we welcome you to visit our website. Additionally, you can contact us directly with any questions or comments.

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