How to build a functional system that deters crime?

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Thanks again for all the great advice. It really helped when selecting a vendor for our community. We ended up going with Eagle Eye networks and 3 cameras.

Eagle Eye CMVR BR224
2 x AXIS P3265-LVE (Dedicated LPR entrance and exit gates with Axis LPR license)
1 x Q3536-LVE Overview camera

I did a lot of research and learned a ton. Without this group, I never would have accepted 2 cameras that were completely black all night except for license plate capture.

We could have done it cheaper but out vendor has been great and worth it. They focus more on commercial and mutli-family.
 

Flintstone61

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My Condo was too cheap to hire a pro.
When they hired me in July of 2017
I had no idea I was going to be in charge of reviewing this antiquated system( and EYEMAX pc with 2 gigs of ram and Windows 7 32 bit) and the ensuing Circus and the Clownshows that go on thru-out the week.
So started the journey to find out that CCTV had gone to IP cams and Coax had been replaced by POE cabling.
Tried upgrading a couple cams, which helped quite a bit,
But realized I had no EYES outside........and the parking lots were occasionally targeted for door checking, and a late night parking spot for the drunk and high type people.
Google searching landed me on Ipcamtalk a few times, and i picked up a few pointers and realized my system was F-ed.
took awhile and some hard knocks to get up to speed. But eventually we started getting the less professional impulse criminals who drove their own car in.....and started generating Case#'s with the Sheriff's office.
But when Covid hit, and George Floyd rioting was going on.....we did get beat by masks and stolen cars with stolen plates.
But it also forced us to beef up our exterior doors and locking mechanisms, and
rekey our Postal boxes, after an Asian gang somehow got a hold of the " key to the city" and were opening blue mailboxes and Condo mail box systems al over town with Identity theft, check forging etc....all the fun stuff.
We had old ladies running to the bank to secure their accounts. complete shit show.
But because of the Cameras, we finally figured out how we were being victims of identity theft.
So the cameras do help when you see changes in behavior patterns of cars and residents, and who belongs and who is suspicious.
But i reveiwed the footage most mornings to see who came thru the parking lots. and thats where we saved video from suspicious cars, and then when they revisted to pull a crime, we already had their plates and vehicle description and could show a " pattern" of suspicious behavior, which helped LEO's at times.
I took us from from video like this.
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to a screen like this
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and eventually like this
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Flintstone61

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Heres a jack ass that was trying to use the postal key to gain access to the building.
Some Condos and Apt's have a Postal key lock that allows entry into front entrance to the interior mail boxes rooms etc.
luckily we did not have that setup, but here he is trying to figure out why he cant open anything after we changed the lock on the outgoing box, and 8 locks in the incoming banks of mail boxes.
Sorry @looney2ns
this was before your consult on " please NO fucking screenshots of screenshots " etiquitte on the forum..:)
1714719850861.png1714719940184.png1714719955695.png
 

Flintstone61

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here is the first piece of evidence that we were being visited, i have at least 3 visits by this group recorded. they stopped coming after they realized the locks were changed. but you have to surveil your video to see who's coming in the property to know if things are getting back to normal.
The Condo was so grateful we upgraded the Camera system, it also changed the behavior of the residents who where chronic rule breakers, and writers of NastyGrams on community bulletin boards( stopped virtually overnight)
 
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I know I'm late to this thread, but as a prosecutor, my anecdotal experience is that cameras don't deter much (if anything)... especially if its consumer stuff like Ring, Wyze, ADT...etc. If the perps have some sense of self preservation they might avoid a property that has visible cameras. But I've yet to prosecute a motor vehicle B&E case or home invasion where the homeowner's HD video provided identification "beyond a reasonable doubt." Even the "dumb" perps know this... the smart ones are turning up now with wifi jammers. That's what brought me to this forum a few weeks back.

This thread has some really valuable info/advice. My thanks to y'all.
 

wittaj

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I know I'm late to this thread, but as a prosecutor, my anecdotal experience is that cameras don't deter much (if anything)... especially if its consumer stuff like Ring, Wyze, ADT...etc. If the perps have some sense of self preservation they might avoid a property that has visible cameras. But I've yet to prosecute a motor vehicle B&E case or home invasion where the homeowner's HD video provided identification "beyond a reasonable doubt." Even the "dumb" perps know this... the smart ones are turning up now with wifi jammers. That's what brought me to this forum a few weeks back.

This thread has some really valuable info/advice. My thanks to y'all.
Wait till you see what someone with better cams can do.

I have been asked by police several times "what kinda Ring cameras produced this video?" And I am like they ain't Ring lol
 

bigredfish

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Agree, cameras are generally not a deterrent. And 90%+ of homeowner video systems lack enough detail to use for positive ID. Like many others here I operate on the theory that there are only two things that really help LE. Clear positive facial ID and license plates. Other 'overview" evidence can be helpful to validate, but not without the first.

The real benefit to good cameras, properly setup are:
1- Providing helpful evidence to LE
2- Providing the homeowner with after-the-fact situational awareness to be able to spot abnormal activity and hopefully plan accordingly
3- Provide hours of entertainment over time seeing drug addicts and 4 legged critters do funny shit when they dont know they're being watched


With the luxury of a single entrance cul-de-sac funneling most future prison dwellers into a single choke point, I have quite a few examples of at least some deterrence, and in two cases this aided other video to give LE what they needed to connect dots and prove the perp was previously casing the neighborhood. Often surveillance takes place during the day while the BadThingsTM happen at night. I can say with confidence that we've helped put no less that 4 BG's away with our video assistance over the past 6 years and I'm on the list to call and ask about video if something goes down in my area(s)

The one thing I have seen repeatedly deter or at minimum give pause to potential thieves is a big hunking PTZ following them.

View attachment HOA Ent VPN_ch1_20230421172413_20230421172448.mp4
















And once they hear through the grapevine that we work with LE, the late night meth head car burglars try and avoid our cameras and neighborhood.
There are a few "regulars" who get it. (wait for it. That glance back directly at the tracking camera tells it)
View attachment HOA Entr_ch1_20221005043722_20221005043823.mp4
 
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