When I was young I remember one of the neighborhoods I lived in forming a “Neighborhood Watch.” It was a concerted effort to keep an eye out for one another’s property and the general safety of the neighborhood where we lived. It was a way to help the local police help us.
Now there is a new way that we as citizens can be part of a “Neighborhood Watch” and that is through the use of quality security cameras on our homes and businesses. Unlike the eye witnesses of old with a poor memory and limited time. We can now provide total recall and 24-hour vigilance.
One such client of mine in Holladay Utah was very frustrated because local kids kept destroying her Halloween and Christmas decorations. She put in 1080P HD cameras in the early fall of 2014. In December of the same year, the problems with the decorations went away and her video was used to bust a thief that had been stealing UPS packages from porches throughout the neighborhood. On January 17th of this year I received a phone call around twelve noon. The police were needing to pull video from her system because of an officer involved shooting that happened just a few driveways down. Officer Doug Barney had been shot and killed after responding to a traffic accident that involved two fleeing suspects. The man turned and shot him in the head.
While working in my home office, I often utilize cameras to watch for the mail and UPS, see who has come to the door, and keep an eye on my son, (age 6) playing in the front yard or on the trampoline with his friends. I am even able to keep an eye on our chickens. The most important thing however is that I know everything is recorded if I need find out what happened.
As the Camera technology quality continues to improve, the neighborhood watch of the future should be very formidable indeed. – Thal Dixon
