Security camera spots sought

Police asking for locations of residential security cameras to help solve crimes

A 66-year-old Wickliffe woman was unloading packages from her car on a late January afternoon when things took an unexpected turn.

A man pointed a handgun at her and demanded her car keys. She was startled and instinctively told him “no.” He demanded the keys again while putting the gun to her chest. She again refused and he fled.

Wickliffe detectives analyzed tapes of a navy blue Chrysler 200 sedan turning around in a nearby driveway. One of the de- partment’s supervisors who specializes in IT also viewed the video and they were able to determine the license plate number of the car.

With the help of that surveillance footage, police were able to track down and arrest 20-yearold Wickliffe resident Blake Cook on aggravated robbery and at- tempted carjacking charges. A trial is scheduled for July, according to Lake County Common Pleas Court records.

Wickliffe police said that case is one of several cases that have been solved in part because of business or residential home security camera footage.

“We know that partnering with our residents and businesses is the best way to fight crime, and this is one more way for us to bridge the gaps.” — Wickliffe Police Facebook post

“This rapid growth in home security and video technology has us here at the PD thinking about a way that the police and the community can partner together to keep our neighborhoods sa fe ,” Wickliffe police wrote in a Facebook post. “If you have a business or residential security system that has cameras, we invite you to notify our detective bureau so that our officers will know where cameras are in various neighborhoods in the event that a crime occurs. That way, we can call or stop by and ask folks to review their cameras to see if the crime being investigated may have been caught on tape.”

The department said participation is voluntary, but anyone who is interested is asked to call 440943-1234 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and ask for the detective bureau.

They’ll ask for your name, address, phone number as well as the number of cameras you have and the directions they face.

With that, the department will create a list with the information that can be searched by officers when a crime occurs in a specific area.

“We know that partnering with our residents and businesses is the best way to fight crime, and this is one more way for us to bridge the gaps,” the department stated in the post.