#1
I am a correctional officer on the night shift, so my job involves a lot of watching cameras and performing cell checks. One night, I'm sitting in my office around 0300 and some movement on the CCTV catches my eye. I look up and there is this big dude walking through my jail, looking like he was on a mission. The only way into the jail is through the booking room right next to my office, and I was 100 percent sure nobody had walked past me. So my mind starts racing. Did I leave a cell door unlocked? Has a violent inmate escaped? Our cameras are old and the halls are dark at night, so I couldn't see many details on the guy. Just that he seemed to be scoping all the other inmates out as he made his way through the cell blocks.
As I'm trying to process all of this, I see him suddnely stop and change direction, starting bee-line straight to my office. With no time to do anything else, I jump up and run over to the door, and get ready for the fight.
I waited for what felt like an eternity for this guy to bust my door in, with a full-on adrenaline rush. But he never showed up. I glanced back at the cameras and he was gone, disappeared into the aether.
After scratching my head for a minute, I went to review the footage. That's when I realized that there was a glitch in our camera's playback that had caused a half-hour delay, and the guy in the video was just me doing a cell check and heading back to my own office. Never been more relieved in my life.
#2
A year back I was working at a hostel and we have security cameras throughout the building. Watching the footage from the camera in the kitchen. It is about 2 am and a very drunk guest walks in, grabs some snacks. and accidentally drops an empty bottle on the ground. He then proceeds to kick it up into the air then kick it again in air, where it flys across the entire length of the room perfectly into the recycling bin. In his drunken state he threw up his hands, ran around in a circle clearly in shock at how amazing he is. Then after looking around he noticed there was noone their to see it. After that he looked visibly depressed and stumbled back out of the kitchen
#3
When it comes to protecting a business, it’s often a smart move for owners to install some sort of security cameras. Loss prevention is something all stores need to worry about, and security tapes can help solve crimes, or deter criminals from attempting robberies in the first place. According to DataNet IT, security cameras are actually the number one most effective tactic in deterring burglars. One study of 422 burglars found that 60% of them would choose a different site to rob if they knew security cameras would be in place. And if they did not know prior to arriving to commit the crime but saw cameras when they showed up, 50% of burglars said that would be enough to cause them to flee the scene.
Law enforcement professionals also recommend the use of security cameras. One detective based in Philadelphia told DataNet IT, “Video surveillance cameras deter crimes like burglary, armed robbery, employee theft, vandalism, and murder.” While vandalism and employee theft might not be the main reasons these cameras would be installed, they certainly would be likely to prevent them. When we know we’re being watched, we tend to be on our best behavior.
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According to Vivint, an expert in security systems, security cameras can also help employees stay on task at work. Their mere presence can boost productivity because employees don’t feel like they should be taking excessively long breaks or checking their phones during the work day. Plus, if a conflict ever occurs in the office, it’s nice for supervisors to be able to review footage to see exactly what took place.
While this may sound like security cameras negatively impact employees, they can also provide employees with peace of mind. Especially for workers of convenience stores, grocery stores that never close, or fast food establishments that pull in big crowds late at night, patrons can come in under the influence and act unpredictably. When employees know that whatever takes place will be caught on film, they can rest assured that they won’t be blamed for the acts of belligerent customers.
#7
We had a lady get arrested for public indecency and I was asked to investigate.
She entered the store with 2 young children, both of whom are mentally handicapped.
That lady literally dragged those kids around the store, slapping them and tugging at their ears/collars if they didn’t obey.
Nothing happened. Someone saw what she did and followed her.
Luckily there’s an officer in the store at the time and quickly approaches her when the associate tells him what she did.
Needless to say, she was definitely high and/or drunk and was arrested.
It wasn’t until I reviewed the tape that I saw they were just still waiting by the shopping cart completely oblivious and afraid to move.
Child services was later called and I still think about those kids often.
Breaks my heart to think about the b******t those kids must still be going through.
#8
#9
When it comes to employee safety, security cameras can also prevent sexual harassment. Unfortunately, sexual harassment is an extremely prevalent issue in many workplaces, as the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission files an average of 7,221 sexual harassment allegations every year. Not to mention all of the incidents that are never reported or filed. Sadly, this is an issue where a victim’s word is not always enough to hold someone accountable for their actions. With cameras in place, however, employees can feel confident that their perpetrators will not get away with their actions. Whether they plan to press charges or simply have their colleague fired for their misconduct, having evidence of the traumatizing event can be very helpful.
#10
#11
Having a reliable security camera can also protect businesses in the unlikely event of a lawsuit. For example, a customer comes in and provokes an employee, trying to start a verbal dispute. They are screaming and yelling at the employee and eventually leave, claiming they will press charges because the employee assaulted them. Upon viewing the tapes, an employer who sees a worker that looks like a deer caught in the headlights has no worries. Security footage can be extremely valuable in a court of law, so when a customer decides they want to squeeze some money out of a company by making up claims, the security tapes can say otherwise.
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#15
As I’m sure you can see from the stories detailed on this list, being a security guard or anyone who has to review security footage is not for the faint of heart. Most days probably have very little action, but the days that are stressful can be traumatic. Watching people who are struggling with drug addiction, people who attempt or succeed in taking their own lives and the abuse that sometimes takes place behind the scenes in a work environment cannot be easy to stop thinking about when a security guard clocks out of their shift. But another unsettling fact is that 15% of businesses never check their security cameras, according to a recent poll. There is no telling what has taken place on the premises of those businesses. If you have security cameras, you might as well use them!
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#18
When viewing security tapes, it can be hard to know what to look for, amidst the hours of customers casually shopping and employees carrying out their mundane tasks. According to Kuna, a company that sells security cameras, there are several telltale signs of suspicious activity that business and home owners can look out for. First, they mention loitering. Whether a person is hanging out outside of your house or hanging around your business without any apparent reason, this might be suspicious. They could be scoping out the location to return to commit a crime, especially if they take photos. If a person is seen loitering in the same place on multiple occasions, they may have nefarious intentions.
#19
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