Security cameras have capture high profile crimes in action in Chestnut Hill recently. Left is a woman shoplifting from Robertson’s Flowers earlier this year. Right is a security camera image of two men who later turned themselves in following vandalism at Fresh Market in Chestnut Hill.[/caption]

by Emerson Max

Between wine-swilling vandals and half-baked bakery robbers, Chestnut Hill has had its fair share of bad guys caught in the act by security cameras. According to police, business owners and experts, the ever-growing prevalence of security cameras and other modern technologies is significantly responsible for an overall decrease in crime. When people are on camera, or they think they are on camera, they are more likely to behave.

Evan Brown was arrested in December of last year for spray painting “F--- Trump” and other anti-Trump slogans on the Fresh Market grocery store. On June 21, he settled with Bowman Properties; agreeing to pay a fine, perform 100 hours of community service, and write an apology letter to Fresh Market. Brown was identified by the 14th Police District because of security camera footage.

In another example, a man who attempted to break into Bredenbeck’s Bakery on May 19 was charged less than a week later because of footage from multiple cameras at the bakery. In a recent article in the Local, Capt. John Hearn, of the 14th Police District, explained that “the technological capabilities of today’s world in conjunction with the coordinated efforts by the business owners, the dedicated officers assigned to the 14th Police District, along with the Northwest detectives successfully resulted in the quick apprehension on this individual.”

Statistically, averages for all types of crime in Chestnut Hill have significantly gone down in the past decade. In May of this year, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that there were 17 total crimes, a majority of which were thefts, and none of which were assault or homicide. In May 2007, to compare, there were 42 total crimes, including two assaults. This is just one example, but taking a look at the stats on the Inquirer's website, It can be seen that crime has undoubtedly been reduced.

It is impossible to credit lower crime rates to a single factor, but security cameras and technological innovations have definitely played a major role. It has become increasingly easier and cheaper for home and business owners to monitor their buildings with high quality security cameras, and this has proven to be a major deterrent for potential criminals.

Officer Bob Mahan, who has been with the 14th Police District for more than five years, and has been in the force for much longer, says that he has seen about a 50 percent increase in cameras since he began working in Chestnut Hill.

Mahan said he has seen a few examples of security cameras directly leading to arrests, including the attempted break in at Bredenbeck’s Bakery, the vandalism at Fresh Market, and a break in at the Trolley Car Diner. Often, the cameras can stop a crime before it is ever committed.

“These guys – their job is to steal,” Mahan said. “They look for accessibility. Often times if they see a camera or a security system, they’re not even going to try.”

Mahan recommends that anyone planning to install a camera system to invest in high quality cameras and to have multiple cameras that point in different directions. He feels that it is not sufficient to have one camera that points down on the entrance to a building, as it is often tough to identify a suspect who may be wearing dark or hooded clothing or may be looking down to avoid detection. An additional camera that is low to the ground and pointing up is the best solution, Mahan said.

The City of Philadelphia has a program that subsidizes businesses who install security cameras for up to 50 percent of the cost of the system up to $3,000. More information and application instructions can be found by searching online for the Philadelphia Business Security Camera Program, or calling 215-683-2172 to request an application. Applications and information can also be found at www.phila.gov/business.

Martha Sharkey, executive director of the Chestnut Hill Business District, said that, in addition to the city’s help, the Business Improvement District provides an additional grant of up to 12.5 percent. Six businesses have already taken advantage of this program this year, and more are expected to follow. The Parking Foundation has also taken the initiative to install cameras on all of its public parking, Sharkey said.

New technologies have a direct effect on crime, but there is also an indirect, abstract influence from the growing pervasiveness of technology. Chip Gallagher, professor of sociology and chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at La Salle University, explained that there is a constant perception of surveillance, whether or not it really exists.

Gallagher said that this can be traced back to a philosophy that arose from a building created in the late 18th century by Jeremy Bentham called the Panopticon. The idea was to have an institutional building built in such a way that every inmate could be observed by one watchman at the same time, without the inmates being able to perceive if they were being watched or not. This ambiguity should lead all the inmates to behave as if they are being watched, without actually having to employ the resources or the manpower to physically watch every inmate.

To a certain extent, Philadelphia’s own Eastern State Penitentiary attempted to apply this theory in its design until its closure in 1971. This was an imperfect example, as the watchmen in the center could only see all the hallways of the prison, and not the cells themselves, but the philosophy stands.

This ideology has translated itself to the modern, digital age, according to Gallagher. To use the example of a storefront, the fact that people assume themselves to constantly be on camera without actually knowing they are, he noted, “certainly has a deterrent effect.”

“This is compared to 30 years ago when there was really no way to watch an entire store,” he added.

The same applies in most situations, especially in an urban environment. The effect that the perception of surveillance has on potential crime is in many ways equivalent to the real, existent surveillance that catches criminals.

The rapid growth and accessibility of technology in recent years has undeniably reduced crime rates. When asked about how significant he feels this is, considering other factors that affect crime as well, Mahan said that “on a scale of one to 10, it’s 12.”