Home surveillance cameras increasing in Lincoln

Posted By: Bayley Bischof Channel 8 Eyewitness News 

Home surveillance cameras are increasing in popularity among Lincoln residents, and helping police get more criminals behind bars.

One of those residents is Lori Crocker. Her house has had cameras for the last few years, Crocker said. 

"It’s the peace of mind, for me," she said. 

She has a camera mounted on her roof and a doorbell camera, all hooked up to an Alarmlink USA security system, she said. 

"Anytime I want to check on anything I can, I just have to open my phone," she said.

Jared Manery, a video analyst with the Lincoln Police Department said this is getting more and more common every year.

Last year the department processed 1100 surveillance videos, Manery said so far this year they’re already at 775, and it’s helping them clear cases more than ever.

"When we release video our clearance rate is about 40 percent which doesn’t sound good, but even 20 percent is a really high rate for a police department," Manery said. 

A few recent high-profile cases solved by video surveillance are a home burglary where two men were caught and identified within an hour. A teen, setting off fireworks on front porches and even a cat burglar caught red handed trying to steal a cat from a porch.

"If we catch you on camera, it’s almost a coin flip that you’re going to be identified," Manery said. 

R.J. Lipert, owner of Alarm Link USA said cameras like these are cheaper than ever, with a Skybell doorbell camera starting at less than 200 dollars. This lower cost and the higher quality of video cameras is why Lipert said they are increasing in popularity.

The increase in surveillance cameras isn’t without downfalls for the Police Department. .

"It’s caused a backlog for myself, Manery said, because of the volume of video we get, it increase in cases every year and also it’s an extra step for police officers."