“My family and I moved to our current neighborhood in Port Chester, New York back in April 2014. The suburban community we live in is quite nice and doesn’t have an extraordinary amount of crime or anything. However as a police officer, I am all about taking an extra step for security, so I set up a DIY surveillance system for my home. Soon enough, I became known as the person everyone in the neighborhood would come to for footage if anything happened.
I had my own share of problems that I was able to get resolved using my system as well. My job often keeps me from returning home until late at night, and in order to preserve the street area in front of my house for my own parking, I would put a 150cc scooter there as a placeholder. One time I came home at around midnight and found that the scooter had been moved, and there was another vehicle in my spot. That was rather frustrating for me, especially considering the fact that I had just worked a long shift, was quite exhausted, and just wanted to be able to park in front of my own home. I reviewed the cameras and saw that it was one of my neighbors who had moved the scooter. He denied it when I approached him the next day, but when I pointed up at the camera facing the driveway, his face immediately betrayed his secret. Knowing that he had been caught red-handed, he admitted to doing it because he hadn’t been able to find another parking spot (and he hasn’t done it again since!).
But with some people, you can just never let your guard down. Shortly after that incident, I went to take the trash out one time and found that my garbage cans were missing. I went straight to review my surveillance footage, and sure enough — it was the same guy! Armed with clear screenshots of the whole thing, I approached my neighbor again. He tried to blame the theft on his workers (which was foolish considering I had the photos right in my hand). He must have later felt guilty enough to take responsibility though, because the next day he knocked at my door with two brand-new garbage cans and a gushing apology.
Awkward confrontations aside, I enjoy the fact that my surveillance system allows me to know everything that happens around my area. My cameras are visible from the street, and I’m sure that deters most people from even trying anything near my house — I can tell you that it definitely gives me and my next-door neighbors a great feeling of security! And coming from a police officer — a surveillance system is a good idea for anyone, even if you don’t have kids or pets. There’s no evidence more solid than having an image of someone committing a crime!”
-Paul Massi
Port Chester, NY
Owns: 8-Channel Compact System with 1TB Drive