Cameras Combat Crime in Amish Country

Located in the heart of Dutch country, Lancaster, Pennsylvania may have the image as one of the tranquil places in the country. But in reality, it's one of the most crime-laden cities in the country. In 2008, Lancaster ranked 9th among cities its size in violent crimes rates. For this reason, city officials took a step to protect their citizens by installing 160 cameras across four square miles within Lancaster. According to CBS, that's more cameras than major cities such as Boston or San Francisco.

The cameras are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by paid employees, who can zoom in and out when they see something suspicious. According to Lancaster Police Chief, Keith Sadler, the camera monitors are to call 911 when they see unusual activity and the police are immediately notified. As a matter of fact, live video feeds can be sent right to police dispatchers.

So far, the cameras have captured a number of crimes, such as DUI accidents, an illegal gun sale, and an assault on an elderly victim by a group of teenagers. The cameras also helped catch a murderer. According to the victim's mother, Freda Brown, the jury was able to watch everything that happened via camera footage of her 19 year old son's violent death.

But as with anything, the camera experiment is not without controversy. One Lancaster citizen says the camera captures him walking down his street or sitting on his front porch. His complaint is not that the cameras are in place, but who is behind the monitors watching them. While the cameras are funded partially by the city, they are also funded by private individuals, individuals who some citizens say have an agenda.

Joe Morales, the head of the security coalition that operates the cameras says he understands that the monitoring system is a touchy subject, "We understand how serious this is, the very serious nature of the work we're doing. And we know that it wouldn't take very much to damage the trust and integrity we've earned up to this point."

And the debate continues. Over the last seven years, since the cameras began being implemented, some citizens point out that the crime rate has held steady. But for Freda Brown, the cameras were an instrumental tool in bringing her son's murderer to justice.

According to CBS, at least four more cities in the United States are considering implementing the same program.

Florida Officers Caught On Security Camera Playing Wii

Wii video games are gaining popularity all over the world, they're so easy to play they're almost ideal even for non-gammers. Well that was never proven more true than during a Florida drug task force raid in September.

Polk County Sheriff's Drug Task Force raided a home near Lakeland, FL. Instead of acting like professional police officers, they were distracted by a video game, Wii Bowling, to be exact. Unfortunately for the officers, the whole day was caught on a security camera connected to the homeowners computer. (Video.)

Various members of the task force are seen on video playing a game of Wii Bowling for more than an hour. While the whole raid lasted roughly nine hours and cost the tax payers of Polk Country nearly $4,000. In all, 11 members of the team were found to be at fault in an internal investigation. They all received 2 hours of retraining and their supervising sergeants are to complete 4 hours of retraining.

"We are learning from our mistakes," said sheriff's Chief of Staff Gary Hester. "I'm absolutely convinced these folks will never do that again. I think we handled (the investigation) appropriately."

Cameras Coming to Coral Springs, FL

The city of Coral Springs, Florida will be installing security cameras at the intersection of University Drive and Atlantic Boulevard soon. If all goes according to planned, the cameras will help catch criminals and prevent would-be criminals from committing crimes.

"I want this at every intersection so if we're looking for somebody, we are able to follow their progress and stay on top of them. What I envision: there is a robbery, we pull up the camera in that area, you can follow [the car] in a system of cameras, and say 'he passed through this intersection and took a right.' And on DVD is that suspect at the bank driving away which is a beautiful piece of evidence to go to court with," said City Commissioner Tom Powers.

Atlantic and University was chosen because it is the city's busiest intersection. Unlike nearby Pembroke Pines, the cameras will not be used to catch traffic violators.

Forfeiture money will be used to purchase the cameras, not tax dollars. What is forfeiture money? It's money collected by cities after arrests from suspects who are later convicted and it comes mostly from drug-related crimes. Powers said of the funding, "The beauty of this is the money will come from forfeiture money, so criminals are paying for technology to catch other criminals." On average, Coral Springs gets between $250,000 and $400,000 in forfeiture funds each year.

A number of other nearby cities are also looking to prevent crimes with cameras, but with more specific goals in mine. In Lighthouse Point, Florida, poles have been installed at the town's 26 entrances and exits. Eventually, each pole will have a camera. While Coral Springs is planning to use their surveillance system to prevent crime, Lighthouse Point Police Chief Ross Licata says their cameras will be used to monitor license plates, in order to find stolen cars and wanted felons. "We're not using it to track the general public to see them coming and going, we're not using this to write tickets," he told the Sun Sentinel.

Though they may have different goals and budgets with what they plan to do with their camera systems, all of the cities do have one thing in common, the hope that the cameras will deter crime. "If there's a chance of getting caught, [criminals] will think twice about it. Rudy Giuliani put more police officers on the street, and crime went down. It doesn't mean more people got caught they were afraid of being caught," Powers said of the camera system's desired outcome.

Granddad Bandit Caught on Camera

The "Granddad Bandit" is wanted in seven states and now the FBI is involved. A $10,000 reward is being offered for any information that will lead to an arrest in a string of bank robberies being committed by an older man. Since April 2009, the man has hit at least nine banks in Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, and New York.

Images of the man have been captured on each bank's surveillance system, showing exactly why the FBI nicknamed him the "Granddad Bandit." He looks like any other bank customer and doesn't attempt to cover his appearance. Atlanta FBI Special Agent Stephen Emmet says that while the man is not armed, he's a "nuisance" to the banking industry and needs to be removed from the streets, "He's going into the banks and being very subdued. He wants to fly under the radar and not draw attention to himself." Images from the various bank security cameras have been used to connect the robberies to the same man and have been released all over the country, in hopes that other law enforcement agencies will recognize him, maybe even connect him to other robberies, and help get information that will lead to his arrest.

The man is calm and quiet, doesn't attract attention to himself, and generally leaves the bank without disrupting his surroundings. He does this by passing a note to the teller, demanding a certain amount of cash. He is thought to be between 50-60 years old, is between 6' and 6'4 and weighs between 220 and 250 pounds, with a stocky build. He's bald on top with short, gray hair on the sides and wears glasses. As Special Agent Emmet says, "He looks kind of like your father or your grandfather." If you have any information or recognize the man, please contact the Atlanta FBI.

CCTV catches cross-dressing cage fighters being attacked

CCTV in the in Welsh city of Swansea caught an unusual street brawl earlier this month. Dean Gardener, 19, and Jason Fender, 22, both men were extremely drunk and had just finished a fight with other people in the street when they found what they thought to be two cross-dressing men and easy prey.

They went to attack the two men, dressed in women's clothes, and suddenly found themselves on the losing end of the fight, which lasted only a matter of a few seconds. The two men they attacked were cage fighters. After finishing the fight, the cage fighters picked up their purses and continued on their way. Leaving the would-be attackers laying on the sidewalk.

CCTV cameras follow the men as they get up and stagger down the street and seem to seek refuge in an alley way. A short time later they are seen being arrested by police officers. The police found out later that the two men were attacked by men in drag. Mark Davies, defending at Swansea Magistrates’ Court, said: “You know it cannot have been a good night when you get into a fight with two cross-dressing men."

Security Cameras for Hospitals

When people think of security cameras in businesses, hospitals aren't usually the first thing that comes to mind. Even so, a quality surveillance system placed in strategic spots on hospital grounds can not only serve safety and security purposes, but it can become a cost-effective way to prevent lawsuits, monitor staff and patients, and weed out dishonest medical claims.

Safety and Security - Cameras are used most often to prevent break-ins and deter crimes, which can occur anywhere, even in a hospital. With so many people coming and going, and so much commotion in emergency rooms and at hospital entrances, the wrong person could easily get inside and cause harm to hospital staff and patients. Properly placed cameras can help law enforcement officials identify these criminals in order to make an arrest. Also, when people are sick, they tend to act out of the ordinary. Sometimes patients who have waited for long periods of time or are unhappy with the care and service they are receiving have tendency to become violent. Security cameras can help staff keep an eye on busy waiting rooms and monitor patients and their families' demeanor.

Monitor Your Employees - Even in small hospitals, it's impossible for managers and supervisors to be everywhere at once. There are so many rooms and locations spread over such a large area that many employees often go unsupervised for long periods of times. Not only will security cameras help you keep a close watch on your employees when you suspect they aren't performing up to your standards, employees who suspect they are being watched will most likely work harder and make better decisions. Also, when there is a dispute between employees, a security camera could very well be the key to what actually happened.

Evidence for Preventing Claims and Lawsuits: Let's face it; not everyone is honest. Some people are just out to see who they can sue to make a buck and this sort of behavior is prevalent in the medical world. Thousands of fraudulent health insurance claims are filed each year. Hospital security cameras can be relied on in cases like this, to see how patients were acting when they weren't being watched by staff. In addition, false claims filed about on-site accidents and incidents might be handled by simply reviewing the video of the time the patient claims to have been on hospital grounds.

Real-time Monitoring: If a patient is awaiting care, becomes ill or passes out, and no one is around to see it or better yet, everyone around her is too busy to notice, her life could be at risk. Many security systems allow for real-time monitoring through personal computers. This allows front desk staff to keep an eye on their patients, even when they're busy filling out paperwork.

There are just so many reasons as to why having a proper security camera system in a hospital or health care setting is important. If you manage such a facility, you really can't afford not to have one in place.

Once you do make the decision to protect your hospital, staff and patients, it's important to make sure your cameras are properly placed. Here are a few tips about hospital camera set-up:

• As with any business, you'll want to make sure you have cameras at all entrances to and exits from the building to make sure you see every single person who enters and leaves the building


• Also, place camera in tight spaces that provide easy opportunities for bullies and criminals to corner and attack innocent people such as elevators, utility closets, stairwells and fire escapes.


• Cameras placed in halls and waiting room keep a close watch on your patients and staff and allow you to monitor everything from behavior to how busy your facility is


• You should also consider placing cameras outside your hospital or health care facility such as in parking lots, loading areas, and rest areas.

Montana Law Enforcement Praises High-Quality CCTV

Butte-Silver Bow Police Captain Doug Conway says security cameras make his job a lot easier. "Video is a great source of evidence to investigators," he told the Montana Standard.

Recently, a burglar broke through a glass door and left RD's Party Shop, in Butte, Montana, with as much beer and as many cigarettes as he could fit in his hands. The man had no idea that a security camera was pointed at him. Police were able to release images of the suspect to the media and the man was quickly apprehended. That's the forth break-in the store has been subject to in four months.

But just because a store has a security camera, doesn't mean there will be an arrest. Often times, stores purchase poor, cheap equipment and then once it's installed, poor placement and bad lighting can leave law enforcement scratching their heads. "Business owners should think about spending the extra money to get a better system," Conway told the paper. High quality images can lead to better identification of facial features and other details, and often times can help identify even license plate numbers on a get-away car.

Some blame the recession for recent increases in crime; as more people lose their jobs and life savings, they're more willing to turn to theft to feed their families and their habits. As crime becomes more and more of an issue, business-owners in Montana are becoming more and more concerned about protecting their property and their employees at all costs.

But buying a quality surveillance system is just the first step. As Conway suggested, cameras need proper placement. For example, a camera placed too high will only get you pictures of the top of the thief's head. Considering most criminals wear masks and hoods, that's not going to help officials identify the person. It's also a good idea to keep your system updated and to keep up with the latest technology. Roy Morris, the owner of RD's Party Shop in Butte, said he likes to upgrade his system every three to four years.