Criminals under surveillance: Kettering police ask residents to register cameras

KETTERING — Police in the city of Kettering say home surveillance cameras can help them solve crimes.

If a crime was reported in a Kettering neighborhood, a new initiative would allow police to know who to call for home surveillance footage.

“Burglaries, property crimes ... a camera can obviously catch anything, but those are probably the primary things that we’re concerned about,” said officer Joe Farrell of the Kettering Police Department.

Kettering police on Friday shared a home surveillance video from a resident on South Patterson Boulevard.

>> Can you ID intruder who beats, robs older Kettering man?

It shows a man who forced his way into an apartment in the middle of the night. He beat an elderly resident, then stole several items before taking off. Officers are still looking for that man, and say the video is their best chance of finding him.

Home security cameras have become more prevalent as their costs have dropped. One popular type is the doorbell ring camera that allows residents to monitor property through their smartphones.

>> Police look for suspect in back-to-back break-ins at Dayton store

Homeowners in Dayton said such a surveillance system helped police catch package thieves around the holidays last year.

Farrell said the department is putting together a list of people willing to share footage if a crime were reported in their neighborhood.

>> READ more crime news

“We can call that homeowner and say, ‘hey, we had a car theft or a break-in or some property crime ... it was near your address and we're kind of wondering if your cameras picked up any of that footage so we can maybe get a suspect,’ ” Farrell said.

Within 15 minutes of posting this initiative on Facebook on Monday, they already received five phone calls. They're hoping more residents will sign on. For information, call Kettering police at 937-296-2555.

Got a tip? Call our monitored 24-hour line, 937-259-2237, or send it to newsdesk@cmgohio.com