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Police Want your Home Video Surveillance Footage

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Police in San Jose, California believe that viewing home security footage will help them solve crimes. The proposal for homeowners to voluntarily register their security cameras for a new police department database is the creation of councilman Sam Liccardo. The idea is to view the footage promptly after a crime.

1HLiccardo revealed the proposal following a rash of arsons. Property owners willingly gave their home security videos to the police to help identify the arsonist, who has burned down a dozen buildings.

The new database would be managed by pre-existing city technology employees, making the cost nominal.

Homeowners would simply sign up for the database. Police could then remotely gain access into the cameras’ feeds. However, older models would need to be turned in for their tapes.

The issue of privacy concerns has been reared, even though the plan would be based on voluntary actions—which actually doesn’t make sense, since nobody would be forced or even pressured to give up their home footage.

Retired judge LaDoris Cordell says that the database plan is simply an extension of the evolution of surveillance technology, rather than an intrusion of privacy, a way for residents to be abreast of the happenings in their neighborhood.

San Jose wouldn’t be the first to launch such an initiative. Nearly 600 businesses and residents in Philadelphia have signed up with a similar program, which has led to 200 arrests based on video footage.

Liccardo will be facing a “Big Brother” obstacle as he attempts to get his plan approved, but says that the police will not be sitting around watching live feeds for kicks.

There have been no adverse responses to a similar program with the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno police department, in which 30 property owners have signed up.

Sources:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=9405534

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/san-jose-police-look-new-tactics-solve-crime/nczm5/

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_24979753/san-jose-police-would-tap-into-residents-private

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Home Invasion results in Child Casualties

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Two young girls died after a man broke into their second-story Cleveland apartment and set it afire. This was after the man forced the 55-year-old babysitter (the children’s’ aunt) into a bathroom, where she remained—until she began smelling smoke. Then she fled to outside and later reported that the man had started the fire.

1BIronically, in the week prior, the victims’ mother had been robbed at gunpoint. The man who broke in and the man who robbed the mother are still at large, and police aren’t sure if they’re not the same man.

Could this home invasion have been prevented? Possibly. Here are tips that will go a long way in preventing someone from breaking or forcing their way into your home:

  • Never speak to a stranger when all that separates you from that person is a screen door. Even worse is talking to a stranger when no screen is between the two of you. If possible, speak to them only through a locked door.
  • Instruct your children, or any kids in your house, never to respond to a doorbell ringing or knocking at any doors of the house. This includes even if you’re expecting someone, including pizza delivery. This also includes if you happen to be momentarily indisposed.
  • Get a burglar alarm system and keep it on, always. This means you’ll need to remember to turn it off when opening the door (or window). Kids in the house will also need to learn to turn it off or ask you to turn it off when they want to go out.
  • If you think that the previous suggestion is too difficult to manage, it’s important to realize that not all burglars (or rapists) knock or ring bells. Some will break in and you won’t know it till they’re inside your home pointing a gun at you.
  • A 24-hour camera surveillance system should be installed. The sight of a camera or the warning sign from the system’s company can be a strong deterrent to a break-in. Cameras should be aimed at all doors and entry points.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Home Alarm System Aids Tornado Victims

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The ADT Pulse alarm system I have has a “Panic” button in case we are in an emergency situation where we need help. I’ve always visualized situations such as home invasion or maybe medical or fire emergency as its intended function.

Well one ADT customer Jarod Stice and his fiancé Jessica Bennett — along with their dog – were huddled under two sheets of plywood and a tarp in the basement of their new Joplin, MO home, while one of the deadliest tornados in U.S. history wreaked havoc overhead.

After emerging from the rubble where his home once stood and uninjured, Jarod climbed up the basement stairs reaching for the control panel of the ADT Pulse home alarm system mounted on one of the few remaining walls. He pushed the emergency button knowing that the system –which uses cell-phone technology – would dial out automatically and relay the need for help to an operator at one of ADT’s Customer Monitoring Centers. The signal was immediately received by Customer Care Representative.

Within minutes help was on the way. Jarod credits ADT for helping to get emergency aid quickly to several seriously injured people whom he and other neighbors had pulled from the rubble and shepherded into his basement for safety.

“The EMTs were able to get within three houses of our home,” he said. “They had to be responding to the alarm because there’s no other reason they would come this close. We were one of the first in the neighborhood to get help.”

Thanks to the quick response from the paramedics, all of those hurt survived the injuries. According to Jared, no one in his immediate neighborhood was among the more than 130 people killed by the tornado.

Become familiar with your alarm control panels panic button. It may save your life or the life of a loved one.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News. Disclosures

Facebook Used To Stop Home Invasion

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This is just the greatest story about social media used for doing good EVER. A University of Georgia student was in bed when masked men invaded his home and tied up his 17-year-old sister and his grandmother.

The student wakes up and probably heard yelling and realized what was happening; apparently he didn’t have his phone so he took his laptop and hid in the attic. He logged into Facebook and wrote as a status message “someone please call 911, no phone, hiding in my house, robbery,”

CNN reports “His best friend called police, and sheriff’s deputies arrived, the men scattered as soon as police arrived. But they arrested one of the suspects while two, possibly three, others got away.

They quoted him as saying “Facebook was like the only thing where I knew I could reach someone instantly that was on chat.”

I’ve always recommended having a phone by the bed. I have both a land line and my mobile ALWAYS accessible by the bed.

If the home invaders bypass all the solid core doors and other layers of protection I have in place and for whatever reason my home security alarm is disabled (which isn’t very possible because it’s battery backed and wireless), or the dog doesn’t attack them and they cut the phone lines or simply take a phone off the hook, then my mobile is right there.

Long story short, have a mobile by the bed, or at least a laptop so you can post a status update that you’ve just been invaded by masked thugs. Unbelievable!

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show.

13 Year Old Hides Under Bed During A Boston Burglary

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The Boston Globe reports: The girl sent a text message to her father, said Police, and then called the police as she hid under her bed while the unidentified man stole three laptops, a large amount of change estimated at about $500, an iPod, and possibly some jewelry.

“The little girl did a fantastic job staying calm and calling us, letting us know what was going on, we had direct communication with her.’’

She must have watched this video of me on Montel saying that exact thing!

“The man had gained entry by kicking the side door of the two-story home off its hinges, and by the time they responded, the suspect had fled,” police said. “The intruder never knew the girl, who was not injured, was under the bed,” police believe.

First, never leave a 13 year old home alone. Maybe a 13 year old is perfectly capable, but still, that doesn’t work for me. If it’s legal in your state to have a 13 year old home alone, then at least discuss home security tips, which in this case maybe someone did. She did well by hiding and making the call with her mobile.

At least install a home security system with home security cameras as another layer of protection with signage outside. Do you think a sign outside that denoted the house was alarmed would have helped? If it did, I bet the guy would not have broken in.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Montel Williams.

Police Arrest Six People in Ritzy Robbery Ring

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Burglars broke into more than 50 homes in the high end areas of Miami and Palm Beach. Most of the victims were out to dinner and some were victims of home invasions.

The perps may have had a network in place of valets, waiters/waitresses or others who had an idea of who the victims were, their addresses and what their schedules were. Most importantly, someone on the inside of this network would inform the thieves when the victims would be gone from the home.

The thieves would enter the homes through locked or unlocked sliding doors generally in the back of the home. Their targets included high end jewelry, watches, gold and diamonds. Losses could be as high as 2 million dollars.

Getting the stolen jewelry back is often next to impossible. Jewelry is the quickest and easiest to fence.

“Police have dubbed the six people arrested for their participation in a burglary ring spanning three counties as the “Dinner Crew Set.”  Home surveillance video captured one of the thieves in action — a masked man with a two way radio.”

It’s obvious that most of these homes did not have home alarms or home security cameras. Many of these burglaries could have been prevented with simple investments that equate to a dollar a day for your family home security.

It’s amazing to me how people go out and spend all this money on expensive items but don’t lock them in a safe or protect them with a home security system.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to ADT Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Montel. Disclosures.

2 Million Homes Are Burgled Every Year

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The FBI says a home is burgled every 15 seconds. Police only catch one out of 10 burglars. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, show U.S. households experience about 16 million property crimes annually. Burglaries result in over $4.5 billion in losses annually resulting in over $2000 in losses to the victims. The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association, determined property crime averages above 75 percent of all crime. And despite 2 million homes being burgled every year the Justice Department says that burglaries have declined over the past 30 years.

One reason is due to as many as 1 million private officers and security guards who work in residential areas patrolling and providing access control at community entrances. But that’s not all.

What have also reduced burglaries are home security alarms. Studies show as many as 25% of all American homes are equipped with a home security system. Additional security measures such as home security cameras are far less expensive and easier to install, wireless alarm systems and window film that makes it difficult to break glass.

Today’s door locks are better than ever too. Certainly a person can buy and install budget locks, but they can be easily picked or compromised with a ‘bump key.” Spending a few bucks more means much better locks. The most important aspect of a good lock is LOCKING it!

However most burglars don’t care if you have an alarm or expensive locks, because they break into the homes that don’t have alarms or they just jiggle the door knob and hope it’s unlocked.

Many homeowners admit that they don’t use their home security systems to the full extent because they are inconvenient or “scary” to use.  When choosing a home security system, be sure to choose something that can be armed and disarmed easily by all family members.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston. Disclosures.