I had a conversation with the manager of a casual style restaurant the other day. Six of his eight cameras were not working. His reply was, “Really; that many?” I was a bit taken aback and asked him the obvious question? How could 6 of 8 cameras not be working, and why was it a surprise to him? The manager replied that the owner wants to “save money and not repair the cameras right now. “ The conversation turned a bit more philosophical when I asked if other equipment was inoperable, would it routinely be repaired or replaced. I could not imagine the street sign not being repaired if 75% of it wasn’t working; or if three quarters of the grills or ovens weren’t working. The answers pointed out that perhaps there was an issue of profitability in play, or maybe something else.

Last week I wrote about a major burglary at a warehouse that was solved by video footage of a suspect and his vehicle from a fast food drive thru camera.  Cameras are a great method of prevention and crime solving for homeowners as well as various types and sizes of businesses.  The sophistication and capabilities of security cameras are advancing rapidly.  Entire reality television series are based on events and moments captured on video cameras and cell phones.

It was the crime of the year; $7.4 million in stolen government computers from a heavily alarmed Tampa warehouse.  The burglary was committed by disabling the alarm system and cameras, cutting a hole in the roof, and rappelling 20 feet into the warehouse.  The laptops were loaded onto two semitrailer trucks.  There were, however, a few slip-ups in the well choreographed crime.  The burglars missed two of the cameras and a distinct vehicle was recorded at the crime scene.   The police investigators used their intuition and surveyed recordings from neighboring businesses – they were rewarded with a breakthrough piece of evidence.