Squeeze, part 1

by J.J. Lewsac

the following is based on a true story

Sandra Miller set her keys on the kitchen counter, and began sifting through the mail; bills, credit card applications (promising criminally low interest rates), local supermarket ads, and a post card from her older sister in Europe. Some people get to have all the fun. Sandra shoved the pile away as her dog rushed in through the doggy door leading to the back yard, nipping excitedly at her heels.

“Hello Quequeg!” Sandra exclaimed, bending over to play with the Cocker-Spaniel. The dog collapsed at her feet, encouraging the affectionate stroking he was receiving. “How was your day?” Sandra asked her canine companion. Quequeg held a special place in her heart. Her father had given the dog to her when she had left home and headed to college 7 years ago. The dogs name came from a character in Moby Dick, a story Sandra grew up having read to her by her Father. Sandra retrieved some food for the dog and poured it into his bowl.

Feeling hungry herself, she pulled a TV dinner out from the freezer and placed it in her microwave.  Wanting to get out of the clothes she had been working in all day, she headed upstairs to change while her dinner cooked.

She walked into the closet in her bedroom looking for something to wear. Feeling some coins rattling around in her pants pocket she pulled them out to drop into her large vase where she was collecting spare change…only the vase wasn’t there…

Confused, Sandra looked around the closet wondering if she had moved it that morning. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she had already thrown it out as preposterous. The vase was huge, and contained coins she had placed in it over the last 5 years. There was no way she could have moved it by herself. Vases don’t just disappear though. Someone had to have taken it. She inspected the top of the dresser closely. Indeed, there were scratch marks on top indicating something heavy had been dragged across the varnish. Sandra blinked in bewilderment. Had she really been robbed? How could she have been robbed? This kind of thing only happened to other people…besides, there was no sign of a break in. She ran back down stairs and checked all the doors and windows. Every single one had been locked. There was no way anyone could have broken in. But then, where did the vase with all her money go? Her mind still clouded with confusion, Sandra did the only thing she could think of. She picked up the phone and called the police.

Log on Wednesday afternoon to read part 2 as the mystery surrounding Sandra’s home deepens.

In the News, part 6

by J.J. Lewsac

Today’s story emphasizes that it’s not just burglars that can be caught with surveillance cameras. Vandalism is a much more common crime, particularly among teenagers who view such an act as silly fun, with no major ramifications.  Fox 13 from Salt Lake City recently reported a story about a group of teenage girls that have been repeatedly vandalizing a homeowner’s fence. According to the story, the girls would run and jump through a vinyl fence breaking the panels, and then run into their getaway car, speeding off. The homeowner, James Tidwell, has had to replace 30 separate fence panels, as he has been vandalized 14 times. Enough was enough for the Tidwell family, who after speaking with police, had surveillance cameras placed across the street. The cameras not only caught the girls in the act, but they were easily identified as local high school students. One of which can be seen urinating on a neighbor’s driveway. The girls can all be heard laughing and enjoying themselves. Check out the video here:

Police say the girls could be facing criminal mischief charges and financial liability for all the money the Tidwell family has had to put into constantly repairing their fence.

As I mentioned before, vandalism like this is quite common amongst teenagers as they don’t see it as a crime, and fail to understand the seriousness of their actions. They don’t take into account all the money that goes into repairs.

Rather than continuously shell out your hard earned cash to replace vandalized equipment, it can be a much wiser use of your money to invest in a surveillance system. After the above story aired on the local news, I am quite certain that the Tidwell residence will no longer fall victim to any more vandalism attempts as the story spreads among the friends of the girls captured on video. Had the family set up a camera system sooner, perhaps they wouldn’t have put so much time, money, and effort into fence repairs.

In the News, part 2

by J.J. Lewsac

As part of my continued look at surveillance video and how it affects lives, I was drawn to a story by ABC World News which told of a 78 year old woman who was being abused by employees of a nursing home in Haverford, Pennsylvania. The woman, who suffers from dementia, was being repeatedly hit, poked, and pulled, all of which was captured by a hidden camera placed in the room by concerned family members. Read more »