Caught in the Act: Law-Enforcement Feedback on Video Surveillance Recordings

Abstract

Video surveillance systems, designed to provide security, act like a guard in a watchtower-a security solution that has been well understood for thousands of years. Systems are designed to meet security needs of the customer who installs the system. However, such systems rarely work as useful law-enforcement tools, leading to frustration and disappointment for police, store owners, and crime victims. In many cases, a business owner selects a system because it is easy to install and manage, operates it in good faith, but when robbery or some other incident occurs, no conviction follows. The perpetrator cannot be identified because the system failed for one reason or another to produce evidence valid for a prosecution.