How Home Surveillance Helped Catch a Predator

In May of 2015, a sexual predator was on the loose in San Jose, California. He had already attacked a woman in the bathroom of a local grocery store and escaped. On May 5th, 2015, he followed a 13-year-old girl home from school, and tried to assault her inside her home.

Two things happened during this attack: the young victim fought back, and was able to scare the perpetrator off, averting a larger tragedy; and the surveillance system installed at the victim’s home captured the entire incident: the suspect stalking the victim as she walked on her street, his confrontation with her on the front porch of the home, his physical attack after forcing his way into the foyer, and finally, his retreat from the premises. The footage from that video, along with some photographs obtained from the grocery store incident, were immediately circulated through the news media and social media websites to start a city-wide manhunt. Three days later, Mohammad Khaliqi was arrested and jailed in Santa Clara County on multiple counts of burglary, attempted sexual assault, and false imprisonment.

There is arguably no doubt the home surveillance video played a large role in helping bring Khaliqi to justice. Both the video and audio from the attack may even be utilized as evidence in a future court trial. But it also illustrates how having a monitored system in place may have increased the benefits of the surveillance. No mention was made of a house alarm in any of the news reports, and the victim’s father contacted the police only after the attack was over and the victim had alerted him to the situation, implying the family’s video surveillance likely was not set up for monitoring. Had the system been monitored, authorities could have been summoned to the scene faster, and increased the possibility of capturing the suspect while he was still in the area.
The Manitou automation software from Bold Technologies is integrated with more than 60 different video products, including Videofied, Immix, Digital Watchdog, and the award-winning I-View Now central station video interface. Video surveillance is another service for alarm dealers to offer with a monitored alarm system, and adds an extra layer of security and peace of mind for homeowners.

Learn more about Bold Technologies video integration partners

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