Facebook Posting Home Security Video to Catch Burglars

I’ve posted before on how Facebook can work against home security, and there’s plenty of evidence to support that notion – especially when people are sharing too much information via social media about their plans to be away.  But once again a report proves that Facebook can just as easily be used against intruders who take advantage of your absence. More and more homeowners are installing security cameras – and when you catch the image of a bad guy, Facebook can be your friend by allowing you to circulate that image to your social network, as well as to the police. It’s working, as this news report from Lexington, South Carolina demonstrates.

Facebook to the rescue!  A suspected burglar was identified after surveillance pictures were posted on the social network. Lexington, South Carolina resident Sam Kanipe was hell bent on identifying a burglar who had robbed his home. When the unidentified burglar pried his back door with a pocket knife and entered, he unwittingly looked right at the security camera that Kanipe had installed in his home that snapped still photos of him.

A Two-Burglar Job

The man proceeded to remove a $2,000 flat screen television and other possessions from Kanipe’s home. The suspect and his accomplice, who was the outside lookout, could not be identified until Kanipe’s daughter in-law posted the pictures from the security camera onto Facebook. Within just a few hours of posting the pictures, a nearby neighbor was able to identify the robber as a neighbor who lived directly across the street from Kanipe.

The Perp Was a Neighbor - and a Serial Burglar

News traveled quickly in the neighborhood, and when White got wind that he had been fingered in the robbery, he went to the local police precinct to turn himself in. Ironically, hours before the Kanipe heist, White was in court pleading guilty to another robbery charge.  He was accused of stealing a 19-inch color television from a patient’s room at a medical center. White was arrested for the Kanipe burglary and was slapped with a $20,000 bond.

The Right Video Technology

The best cameras are the ones that are integrated into your home alarm system, both in terms of cost and functionality. And instead of needing an expensive DVR (Digital Video Recorder) to record around the clock, the smart cams sold by the more advanced alarm companies have motion analytics built into them. That means, these cameras are “activated” when they sense motion: they create a video clip, which is sent directly to you, and is also securely stored off-site when you retrieve it later. No expensive video storage device required. Of course, these cameras also you to log in remotely to view your home any time you want, from anywhere you have a web connection – including your iPhone, Droid, or BlackBerry.

It’s good to know that Facebook and other social media channels are not just liabilities for home security, but just the opposite: they can actually help in the constant fight against residential burglaries. As the leader in wireless home security, FrontPoint is 100% committed to providing protection and peace of mind, with systems that are safer, smarter, simpler, more affordable, and virtually impossible to defeat. We’ve been selling and supporting security cameras for years: not the ones with the expensive local storage device, but the interactive ones that you can view remotely, and that send the motion activated clips to you, and to secure off-site storage where you can retrieve them. Just one more reason why FrontPoint is the #1 rated alarm company in the US.