Security Camera Footage May Help Police Catch Stabbing Suspect

Last month we talked about the benefits of parking lot security cameras. Now it looks like police in Leesburg, Virginia are learning that for themselves. Earlier this week the Leesburg Police Department released parking lot security camera footage of an SUV, and they're hoping the video will lead to the arrest of a suspected attacker.

Between May 24 and August 2, five men were killed and 11 injured in the Flint, Michigan area; one was injured in Toledo, Ohio; and three were injured in Leesburg. Police believe all of these attacks were related due to the descriptions of the suspect, the vehicle he was driving, and patterns related to the actual crime.

The suspect is said to be a tall, white man with a muscular build. He asks the victims for directions or help with his car before attacking them. The video, which was shot in a mall parking lot in Leesburg, shows the potential suspect driving a dark green Chevrolet Blazer.

All but two of the victims were black men and they were walking alone, usually at night or in the early morning hours. Six of the attacks were committed between 12:15 AM and 6:00 AM on Mondays, while six of the attacks happened between 5:45 AM and 6:15 AM between Thursday and Sunday.

So far, police have put together a list of potential suspects. According to the Associated Press, Genesee County, Michigan prosecutor David Leyton said 469 tips have been received. The tips have been shared between all law enforcement agencies involved with the investigation, including the FBI. The investigation is being managed by Michigan State Police.

Take a look at the video below to see the potential suspect's car caught on camera:



Check out this related story: Virginia Security Cameras

Non-Working Security Cameras Don't Prevent Lawsuits

Pauline Showalter of Baker County, Florida is suing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) . But could properly working security cameras have prevented this from happening? It's entire possible.

Showalter received a Rolex watch worth over $24,000 for her 50th birthday, but when she went through a security checkpoint at Virginia's Norfolk International Airport last year, the watch mysteriously disappeared. Showalter says she placed the watch in a bin and onto a conveyor belt and was then asked to pass through a separate security screening, according to The Florida Times-Union. When she asked to get her watch, she was told she could not and when she finally returned to the conveyor belt, the watch was gone.

Showalter, who was on her way home to Jacksonville, says she has been without the watch for over 16 months now (the event took place in February 2009). But the TSA says she never had a watch on that day.

However, it is being reported that the security cameras in the area weren't working properly at the time. How does this change things? I think that's pretty obvious. Had the cameras been working properly, authorities could see whether or not Showalter was actually wearing a watch and whether or not she actually placed it in the bin.

In addition, if Showalter is telling the truth and the watch was stolen or misplaced, authorities could possibly get an idea of what happened to it...had the cameras been working. If a suspect was caught on film, stealing the watch, images and video could be released to local and national media, in an effort to help catch the crook. And most importantly, a lot of headaches, bickering, and a lawsuit could have been prevented.

The moral of the story is even though you have security cameras, keeping them working properly is so important. Otherwise, they don't serve much of a purpose in the event that a crime takes place, especially a crime in which two different parties are arguing about whether or not there was even a crime in the first place.

If you to have your security cameras serviced or you're considering upgrading to newer, better quality models, Camera Security Now can take care of you from start to finish. Visit www.CameraSecurityNow.com or call 877-422-1907 for more information.