MURFREESBORO, Tenn (WTVF) — Law enforcement agencies are calling it an extra set of eyes. Doorbell cameras have helped police departments solve everything from burglaries to homicides.
In a statement to NewsChannel 5, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office says the camera systems have been "very beneficial for investigations from corroborating statements to developing leads. We have used home security footage in two homicide cases as well as many other property crime cases. We have found that homeowners are more than happy to help us when it comes to developing leads or collecting video evidence to help in a prosecution."
Officials with the Murfreesboro Police Department say home surveillance systems have helped investigators solve crime as well.
"For the bang for your buck, you’re getting a high-grade camera which allows us the opportunity to be able to go in these neighborhoods and certainly get a lot more video than we ever would have been able to in the past," said Sergeant Tommy Massey.
Sergeant Massey says with development of doorbell cameras and the advancement of home and business surveillance systems, they're able to solve more crimes with the help of the public.
"When you’re working property crimes, robberies, potential homicides or anything, anytime you have an opportunity to potentially catch that crime in progress or maybe get some type of description from that video that someone may possess; it’s very valuable in solving these cases. "
Departments say they're also seeing that the cameras can be a deterrent for crime as well.
