It can be frightening when someone is breaking into homes and peering into the windows of every one in the neighborhood as the residence of the Walnut Hills area in Dallas, Texas can tell you. And while two videos did catch the burglar peering into windows neither video got a clear enough shot of the man to help police make arrest.
However, three times seems to be the charm in this case when a well placed home security camera not only caught the man on tape, but angled just right to get a good facial picture. Police released the video and just days later they made an arrest. The burglar had no choice but to plead guilty and is now doing time in jail.
The homeowner whose video caught the burglar in the act was extremely relieved as the video clearly shows the burglar looking in on the man's sleeping family. The homeowner still can't help wondering what may have happened if he or his children had woke up while the theft was taking place and he is thanking the people who installed the security camera system and the Dallas police for making his neighborhood safe once again.
The police on the other hand are taking the opportunity to point out to this Dallas neighborhood and others the importance of having good quality surveillance equipment in helping the police not only apprehend criminals, but in getting them convicted. Pointing out that in this case, the convicted burglar had several other convictions for which he had only gotten probation and that it was the presence of this tape that clearly caught him in the act that lead to a guilty plea and the man finding spending time where he belonged behind bars.
If there is message to be had in this incident is that security camera can help not just individual homes but entire neighborhoods be better protected. Although the other security cameras at other homes did not get a clear picture of the burglar it did put the community on notice alerting them to the danger in their neighborhood. When the third camera finally got a clear shot of the man's face the police were quickly able to send out that picture, get the man identified, make an arrest and get a conviction.
The next time a video may well save someone's life.