Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Surveillance photos helped Columbia Police make two arrests in several dog thefts, (Read original story here) and the same security company that provided those cameras has been a part of solving two other crimes here in the past year.
The surveillance photos from the Columbia Animal Shelter were taken by Statewide Security Systems, whose cameras also led to arrests in the Salty Nut Cafe fire in January and the beating of a teen in Five Points last June.
The company actually donated the cameras to the city to install at the shelter after the second break-in. The owner understands some people's hesitancy about the constant lens, but both he and the city say their partnership is defeating crime.
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin explained it to a crowd at the police department, "In order for us to become the most talented, educated, entrepreneurial city in the Southeast - if not in America - we must first be the safest. And we've made some significant strides in that regard that we're very proud of: crime in Five Points is down 15 percent, assaults city-wide are down 23 percent."
And those numbers may be the result of adding the Columbia Police Department and Statewide Security Systems together. "We had a citizen that wanted to step up to give the police department and the City of Columbia really a lot of assistance," said Chief Randy Scott.
Carey Shealy, owner of the company, said "In this particular case, we heard about the dogs being stolen and what was probably going on with them, so we thought that we could help and we offered to install some security cameras."
Their cameras were installed on Main Street for the city's New Year's Eve bash. Shealy said, "I think study after study has shown that, in big cities for example, areas that have cameras: people shop more, surrounding neighborhoods benefit, values go up and people are going to shop where they feel safe."
The cameras that are up around the city now aren't monitored around the clock, but are always recording. So if you commit a crime under their watchful eye, you will probably end up on screen.
"Everybody has a reasonable expectation of privacy. But when you're in public, anybody can walk around with a cell phone or anything they want and record you," said Shealy, "Security cameras are a great deterrent against crime."
The cameras on Main Street are still up and Statewide says the city is working on getting a grant to fund them permanently.