Percentage of thieves caught, security cameras in the home?

[THEMULE]

Need to pick your brains here. Hopefully some seasoned LEO's can chime in.

My wife and I are looking at having a quality camera system set up around the outside of the house. They are not cheap.

So before we spend the money, I wanted to do some research.
What percent of burglars get caught because of home security cameras?

Thanks!
Bob

 

[Bajadoc]

Cameras give the perception of security which sometimes works. Very few residential burglars are caught because of cameras. They are caught by vigilant neighbors and traffic stops with stolen property.

 

[Shark Bait]

If you're just wanting to set up cameras outside your home, consider buying some game cameras. You have various set up options and they are difficult to see if you mount them properly. Visible security cameras can be a deterrent, but sometimes the thieves will look for your recording unit and steal it too. A friend had game cameras outside his home and a burglar because of them. That's what made me look into them. Also, they are cheaper and can have better image quality than many security cameras.

 

[cowart]

Our local TV station loves to get a hold of footage from home security cameras and air it on the local news. Its my impression that cameras located inside the house are much more valuable from a police viewpoint than outside cameras. But, I'm not a LEO.

 

[Wingmaster]

My wife would divorce me if I put cameras INSIDE the house. That is of course after she slapped me around.

Wingmaster

 

[RSanch111]

Quite a few get caught if you have a good picture. If you have visible cameras, it may deter some burglars OR prompt them to mask up if they really want what you have. If you have hidden cameras, you have a better shot at getting a good pic. BUT. You have to have a police department that is willing to do the work. My house was burglarized and I got a good photo of one guy. Local PD wouldn't do jack. They had the detectives doing traffic two days a week.... This crew that got my house was hitting in the next city over too. I gave what I had to those detectives and they worked it, put a tracker on the bad guy's car and cleaned up a major burglary and fencing operation.

 

[THEMULE]

I appreciate everyone's advice and opinions thus far...
Please keep them coming. So far, I'm not convinced the money is worth it. It seems law enforcement in my area has bigger fish to fry.
It's really sad that we are even having this conversation isn't it?

Thanks everybody, looking forward to more opinions and thoughts.
Bob

 

[Kanewpadle]

As has been said here before, home security should be layered.

Cameras and an alarm where in use during this gun shop robbery a few days ago. The bad guys got away and the ATF and local LEO are still looking for them.
Burglary suspects in gun store case caught on camera | KIRO-TV

The owner of this store is an arrogant jerk. His arrogance cost him. He should have had security film installed on the glass which would have prevented this robbery. The alarm and cameras were not a deterrent.

As a professional locksmith I am asked this question almost daily. My advice is to start with good lighting but remember that many break-ins happen during daylight hours. Next, above average deadbolts are needed. Most anything you can buy at any home center isn't worth the money they demand. The salesman will tell you they're great. In the end, he's just a salesman. Not a security expert.

I usually tell my customers this, "if I kick in your door at 2AM, how far would I make it into your house before you realize what's happening and take action?" The answer is "at least half way".

Half way and the odds just became even. Or worse.

Because I've seen so many robberies and home invasions I have become a little paranoid. So I have made my home a fortress. Nobody is getting in quickly and easily. I have the best deadbolts money can buy with steel reinforced strikes. All the glass is covered with a security film. Add good lighting and I'm comfortable. I don't feel that I need an alarm or cameras to tell me what's going to happen, when it happened, and who did it.

I'm comfortable enough that I don't carry a gun while I'm home. But they are close by.

 

[Jebus35745]

The only thing Bob is if they would have a mask on and gloves on to hide fingerprints. You need a mean dog not like the small designer one we have. I doubt if she would wake up if someone broke in at night.

After we were robbed years ago, we had a alarm system put in. Lost abt 12 guns. Now the crooks have 1 minute till the phone rings and they give the wrong answer to the person that called. The security company's next call is to the police. If one of the police is close when the call comes through, it's a quick response to the house. Would almost like to see how well it works now. If someone holds my wife hostage when I'm not home, there is a hostage button to press. No call, immediate response to the house. I found out how that worked one time by pressing the wrong button. Larry

PS, we use Seivers Security now. They are way cheaper. If you want, I can call and tell you all I know. There are systems now with cameras and they can talk to the crook. Some companies will install a system cheap if you use them to monitor your house. We also have motion detectors inside. There are a couple guns at key points also.

 

[the ringo kid]

Cameras give the perception of security which sometimes works. Very few residential burglars are caught because of cameras. They are caught by vigilant neighbors and traffic stops with stolen property.

Ive got two in my car but are deactivated.

 

[Wingmaster]

He should have had security film installed on the glass

Excuse my ignorance, but what is security film?

Wingmaster

 

[H Richard]

I don't advertise that we have anything worth stealing. But, I do have a solid concrete walk in vault with steel door that would slow down anyone. It is also located inside a locked room that also has a home type steel door on it. We are also a close knit high density upper middle class condo area.

 

[S. Kelly]

Good cameras, at good angles are invaluable. That's all I end up working with now-******* B&Es up the ying yang. SRanch111, your PD's run by morons. Post the pics yourself, he'll be ratted out by someone.

 

[chopshopcop]

A camera is only worthwhile when

A: They are focused properly and lenses are clean
B: They are zoomed in enough to capture facial features (If your suspect is only 1/4" tall on video, no amount of enhancement will make them identifiable. Additionally, not every dept. has the capability to enhance video)
C: You have the local media willing to air your footage to the public, contrary to popular belief, the cops don't know every criminal on sight.
D: If you live in a moderate size to large city, your local officers are likely juggling a significant caseload that increases every day. Unfortunately, they have to prioritize the cases based on a lot of factors, including the chance of solvability. A thorough processing of the crime scene, fingerprinting and potentially DNA collection along with video boosts your odds.

If it were me, I'd invest in hardening the home first, metal security doors, deadbolt locks and solid wood doors. Security film on windows along with either wired or wireless alarms on each to detect opening and/or breakage.

Motion lights, keep shrubbery and trees trimmed along windows, if you opt for an alarm system, will it be monitored by a service or straight ring-down to the police? Silent or audible, both have advantages.

One of the best burglary deterrents is a nosey neighbor, if possible, get involved in a neighborhood watch.

 

[gman51]

We had cameras at work when an employees car was stolen from the front parking lot. The camera showed a very poor pic of the crook's 30 second entry and theft of the p/up. Camera did not get pic of license plate on thieves vehicle. IMO the cameras were a total wasted expense. They sure didn't stop the car theft or get the vehicle back.
IMO even if you got a good pic of a BG how often would that pic ever be seen to catch the BG? Sorry to say it just doesn't happen very often if ever.

If you want a good deterrent to stop a kick in or break in while you are at home then buy a $3 rubber door stop jam. If the thief still tries to get in after he compromised the lock he will have to make a lot of noise trying to get the door open. This giving you time to be armed and ready.
Another deterrent is get one of those yapping ankle biter dogs.
Motion detectors from what I have seen have so many false alarms due to wind moving trees or whatever can move by the wind. Neighbors cat getting on my car sets it off. My motion detector for my carport light goes off and on all night long on a windy night.

Do a search for product reviews or complaints on any product or service to see what real people have to say. Don't use the product site reviews expecting non biased uncensored reviews.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is security film?

Wingmaster

3M™ Scotchshield™ Safety & Security Window Films, Ultra Series for Residential | 3M United States

 

[DeathGrip]

Another deterrent is get one of those yapping ankle biter dogs

My dogs will bite you well above the ankle and they can hear the grass grow.

 

[gman51]

LOL Many people fear ankle biters. I had a German Shepard and some woman's poodle came after my dog. I thought oh no here is going to be one dead poodle. Boy was I surprised when that little dog was in and out of my dogs legs so fast my dog only knew where the poodle was by getting bit and run. It had my dog spinning around in circles before the poodle took off. Me and my friend about fell down laughing so hard.

 

[Class III]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is security film?

Wingmaster

Security Film is designed to hold the glass in the frame, similar to what happens when the windshield of a car is hit with a baseball bat, broken/shattered glass but still intact in the frame.


For tempered glass, like the glass in your doors and the door sidelights, you need to use an anchoring system. The reason for the anchoring system is that tempered glass is designed to break into small pieces and fall to the ground when broken to reduce injury from glass shards.


PM me a mailing address and I'll be happy to mail you a sample of 3M Security Film. I'm a 3M Certified Security Films, Sun Control Films and Prestige Films Dealer covering West Tennessee, North Mississippi and East Arkansas.


Class III

 

[hostler]

I think (just my uneducated opinion), money would be better spent on good locks and deterrents like fake cameras and "video surveillance" signs.
Sadly, if someone wants to get in your house they will, the best you can do is discourage them from your house to your neighbor's house.