If you have home surveillance cameras you may feel your property is protected, but law enforcement says to make sure you’re using it right so that crooks don’t get away this holiday season.
During the holidays, property crimes spike law enforcement says.
Items left in cars while shopping, or packages delivered to the front porch may be the only invitation a thief needs to steal from you.
“I feel like there is always a little bit of violation when something is stolen from you,” said Alex Brain.
Alex Brain watched as a woman stole a package from her front porch.
Brain lives in Tacoma. She moved into a new home and says she was looking forward to celebrating Christmas with her first tree.
However, she says within minutes of receiving the package someone walked up her front steps and stole the box. She knows this because she was able to watch the whole thing on her doorbell camera.
“If you have a good camera It’s all about positions. If you have one or two cameras that’s all you really need. I would put one like the doorbell camera at eye level, so you have a good face shot of them,” said Deputy Zach Brubaker with Seatac Police.
Brubaker is part of the community crime prevention unit for the City of Seatac. He works with businesses and homeowners designing security systems.
Brubaker says many people have home surveillance now, but not everyone is using it right. He says many people are inclined to place the cameras in an elevated position, however he says that viewpoint does not always capture thieves in the act.
“I recommend if you have a driveway that set up for it, put your camera at a shot that is at a lower angle, so you can see the license plate,” he said.
Brubaker says police look for faces, and license plates when going through home surveillance. If you’re video is not capturing that, it may be hard for police to catch the crook.
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