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Last updated 10:08 am CT February 09, 2010.
Surveillance Systems Pay Off
"Usually what I see is people who are just lingering around in the store," says Huck's assistant manager Rhonda Keller. "They're just looking around to see if somebody's up in this direction and usually you can see them put it in their pocket, and you've got a good idea."
And whether the customer knows it or not, surveillance cameras at Huck's #200 in Benton catch it all on tape...
"It catches them putting it right in their pocket."
That makes Benton police chief, Mike O'Neill's job, much easier because the evidence is irrefutable.
"A camera never blinks, a camera doesn't have color blindness, a camera doesn't have emotions."
O'Neill says typically crimes that are tough to solve are made easier when a camera is in use- like gas station drive-off's.
"At least we could document the crime a little bit more and we might be able to track some of these people down that are intentionally driving off without paying for gas."
Police say that businesses with surveillance cameras can also help solve crimes without even knowing it. That's because, while the cameras may be focused on their property, they can also see things going on far in the distance.
"Most recently we had the hit and run incident down in West Frankfort where a local business had a camera that was pointed in a certain direction and caught the incident on tape."
One day after News 3 ran the surveillance video, the driver turned himself in to police.
So while O'Neill says he doesn't know the price of a surveillance system, he's sure of its value.
"If you can make it more difficult for them to satisfy their crime, or what they're trying to do, then that video system's paid for itself."
A basic surveillance set-up costs between $4 and 600 a camera. But, O'Neill says, it can potentially save a business thousands in the long run.
By: Rachel Gartner
rgartner@wsiltv.com
Now: 1265732933
