Duct Tape Guy

[bababouy]

We caught this guy the other night at an apartment complex in Long Beach. He was hanging out in front of the place for an hour or so. He entered and walked the common areas for a bit. We decided to call the cops when he covered the camera up with some duct tape. They took about 7 minutes to get there and surround the building. The cops ended up finding all kinds of stuff on him from other buildings and cars that he got into earlier in the night. Some of these are HD-CVI that I put in last year and the front door cam is still a 700tvl. I flew out there to change all the cameras out and I didn't have the tamper resistant torx head to take the globe off, so I left it for the property manager, who has switched hands 3 or 4 times since.

 

[bp2008]

Wow, nine officers responded to this?

 

[TonyR]

+1^^ to that. I guess it's a slow night in Long Beach.

 

[bababouy]

I need to post the case before this one to explain things. We have had a bunch of misses here where the cops show up and walk through the front door, then the subject takes off through another exit. We had a chat with the captain of the night shift for this area and showed him and his guys a few videos where the suspect was just missed. So now when they respond to the property, they set up a perimeter.

 

[bp2008]

Aha

 

[bababouy]

This was a video from back in April, where the cops came in one way and just missed the guy.

 

[TonyR]

Aha

Me too.

 

[handinpalm]

Endless entertainment.

 

[Mike A.]

I need to post the case before this one to explain things. We have had a bunch of misses here where the cops show up and walk through the front door, then the subject takes off through another exit. We had a chat with the captain of the night shift for this area and showed him and his guys a few videos where the suspect was just missed. So now when they respond to the property, they set up a perimeter.

Are you ever on the line with the cops real-time? Seems like that might be a big help in some cases to tell them where people are at any given time.

 

[bababouy]

@Mike A. We are always on the phone with dispatch during a break in or trespassing call. The issue is the communication goes from our guys, to a dispatcher that is on the phone with us. The dispatcher types it up and another person in the dispatch office reads the details and puts out the call over the radio. Somewhere in this process, details are often lost, such as where the subject is on the property. The person putting the call out has to take all of the details and pass them on to the responding officers quickly. Years ago I made a call on a case where I observed a guy park his car near a fence, then he got out and cut a hole in the fence and entered a marina that we were watching. I called dispatch and let the dispatcher know that we were watching a burglary in progress. I also gave the dispatcher the vehicle description, since the car was parked right under one of our cameras. The dispatcher thought I told her that the subject left the property already and had officers looking around the neighborhood for the car, rather than responding to the property where the guy was still at. We have learned that we have to give certain details and hold back certain details to keep from confusing everyone involved. This communication issue happens all over at every police department that we work with. The solution is to share our videos and experience with the officers so they know that we aren't normal citizens calling in and reporting a crime and when we say the guy is in the parking garage, we mean he is in the parking garage.

 

[stevejay]

Just curious, do you have special contact phone numbers or do you go thru regular 911 ops? Where I live it would be hard to get 911 to react to that incident, particularly if no felony was observed (i.e. only a misdemeanor) and definitely if description of the perpetrator sounded like it might be a homeless guy. The call would be dumped off to the police non-emergency line. There’s almost no enforcement against misdemeanors by homeless anymore here.

 

[bababouy]

@stevejay Where are you? Homelessness is not a problem, but when someone wonders into an apartment building or a community in the middle of the night, and they don't live there, there is some sort of intent on the person's mind for the cops to respond to. In other words, if you leave someone alone that is committing a misdemeanor, it could turn into a felony real quick. You also don't call the cops and state the law, " I am watching this person commit a misdemeanor". You call the cops and tell them that the subject looks like he is going to cause damage or harm and he just covered a camera with duct tape.

 

[stevejay]

"How do you know he doesn't live in that building, sir? Are you the property manager? Are you personally acquainted with all the residents? So, what you're reporting is that some person you don't recognize put a piece of tape on a camera? And you believe he looks like he might commit a crime. Yet, you haven't actually seen any crime other than vandalism on a camera, have you, sir? I understand, sir. Please hold, while I connect you with the non-emergency line."

Click.

Apparently it's different in Long Beach but in L.A. it's well-known that you'll get more of an argument than assistance from 911 operators if you are an average citizen reporting misdemeanor theft (no cop roll-out anymore—even the police chief admits it) or suspicious pre-crime behavior like door checking, trespassing private property at night, etc. That's why I was asking if a professional in the security business gets a better response than the average citizen.

 

[JNDATHP]

A reputable security company, and @bababouy is one, will develop relationships with local LEOs and dispatch such that when a call is made to 911 and they give their name/company name, there is history and so the calls are taken more credibly.

I’ve been on both sides, as a LEO and a Director of Security after I retired as a LEO. My first efforts as DOS were to engage the locals, including the fire department, and ask how I am my team could help them. After some time, they came to realize that we were professionals.

 

[bababouy]

I recently called the local sheriff's office on two guys that were walking through my neighborhood around 4am. I was walking out of my house to get in my truck and I observed one of the guys come walking across my neighbors grass. Both guys had backpacks on and it was a little to early to be walking to the bus stop. I sat in my truck for about 8 minutes when I noticed two officers on bikes ride into the neighborhood and make contact with the two. Both subjects were put into handcuffs and taken into custody. several other officers showed up a few minutes later to assist. When I exited my neighborhood, I noticed that the officers parked their car down the street and took their bikes off of the racks on the back of their cars. When I placed the call, I told the dispatcher what I saw and that it appeared the two subjects may have been trying to break into cars.

@stevejay We have been monitoring this building in Long Beach for about 7 years. We also monitor quite a few other apartment buildings and condominiums, so our team has become used to the actions of residents and visitors. When people arrive home, they park their car and walk to the unit. When they leave, they walk from their unit to their car, they hit the remote locks, their lights flash, and the get into the car and leave. Any other actions like wondering around at 4:00am are considered suspicious. If this guy lived there and wasn't doing anything wrong, the cops would have made contact with him, then gone on their way. We are professionals and we do this every night. We know what the bad guys look like.

 

[stevejay]

I agree about the "look." That guy checked off all the boxes for "suspicious." Under certain circumstances—time of day, neighborhood, etc—I personally think backpacks are a presumptive sign of criminal activity! But that's just me ...

 

[handinpalm]

I personally think backpacks are a presumptive sign of criminal activity! But that's just me ...

Don't forget the hoodies!

 

[bababouy]

This is in California and the time is set to EST so it's actually 3am or so there.

 

[bababouy]

Another weirdo at the same apartment complex from the other night.

 

[Parley]

I did not see his backpack when they got him out of the car.