The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/031809_Woman_Attacked_With_Stroller
On Tape: Woman Attacked With Stroller
WILMINGTON, Del. - A homeless woman is attacked with her own baby stroller then robbed. It was all caught on tape.
The victim says she was attacked by three niggers. Two of them are in custody.
A surveillance camera on 4th and Broom Streets was rolling on the attack.
If you live or work in Wilmington, you may not realize it, but chances are somebody's watching you. There are dozens of cameras everywhere. Proponents say it's a valuable crime-fighting tool and that was certainly the case Monday afternoon, reported Fox 29's Claudia Gomez.
"These three young men followed her and clearly were up to no good. They were invading her space, getting much too close to her, and she sensed it," says Michael Maggi
tti, Director of Safety for Downtown Visions.
"They snuck up behind, one snuck up behind me. And then the other one grabbed the cart and started throwing my stuff all on the ground," says the victim.
What the trio didn't realize is that a surveillance camera caught their every move. Specially trained monitors watched it happen in real-time and called police, even as the assault continued.
"They hit me on my face with their fists and snuck up behind me," says the victim.
Then they ran away, but not before throwing the woman's baby stroller at her, scattering her few possessions on the ground. But it didn’t end there. By constantly switching cameras, the monitors were able to follow the suspect’s home, and then gave that information to police. Without those cameras --
"Most likely the perpetrators do not get apprehended, and the crime wouldn't have been solved," says Maggitti.
47 surveillance cameras keep track of all kinds of activity all around Wilmington. They
are monitored by a company called "Downtown Visions." Last year, police say those monitors helped officers make nearly 400 arrests.
"They're trained to watch for drug deals. They're watching for any kind of suspicious activity, they call to that. We recover weapons from their information," says Sgt. Steven Barnes of Wilmington Police Department.
Many of the cameras are so good, the monitors can even spot a gun and warn police.
"They'll be able to tell us if somebody's armed before we can get there. So that's an important part of it...That very well could save an officer's life, absolutely," says Sgt. Barnes.
The cameras can also help exonerate a suspect, or a police officer accused of using excessive force.
They also give detectives important information about who witnessed a crime.
It does sound "Big Brother"-like, but Downtown Visions says in eight-year history, it has never been accused of invading someone's privacy.
On Tape: Woman Attacked With Stroller
WILMINGTON, Del. - A homeless woman is attacked with her own baby stroller then robbed. It was all caught on tape.
The victim says she was attacked by three niggers. Two of them are in custody.
A surveillance camera on 4th and Broom Streets was rolling on the attack.
If you live or work in Wilmington, you may not realize it, but chances are somebody's watching you. There are dozens of cameras everywhere. Proponents say it's a valuable crime-fighting tool and that was certainly the case Monday afternoon, reported Fox 29's Claudia Gomez.
"These three young men followed her and clearly were up to no good. They were invading her space, getting much too close to her, and she sensed it," says Michael Maggi
tti, Director of Safety for Downtown Visions.
"They snuck up behind, one snuck up behind me. And then the other one grabbed the cart and started throwing my stuff all on the ground," says the victim.
What the trio didn't realize is that a surveillance camera caught their every move. Specially trained monitors watched it happen in real-time and called police, even as the assault continued.
"They hit me on my face with their fists and snuck up behind me," says the victim.
Then they ran away, but not before throwing the woman's baby stroller at her, scattering her few possessions on the ground. But it didn’t end there. By constantly switching cameras, the monitors were able to follow the suspect’s home, and then gave that information to police. Without those cameras --
"Most likely the perpetrators do not get apprehended, and the crime wouldn't have been solved," says Maggitti.
47 surveillance cameras keep track of all kinds of activity all around Wilmington. They
are monitored by a company called "Downtown Visions." Last year, police say those monitors helped officers make nearly 400 arrests.
"They're trained to watch for drug deals. They're watching for any kind of suspicious activity, they call to that. We recover weapons from their information," says Sgt. Steven Barnes of Wilmington Police Department.
Many of the cameras are so good, the monitors can even spot a gun and warn police.
"They'll be able to tell us if somebody's armed before we can get there. So that's an important part of it...That very well could save an officer's life, absolutely," says Sgt. Barnes.
The cameras can also help exonerate a suspect, or a police officer accused of using excessive force.
They also give detectives important information about who witnessed a crime.
It does sound "Big Brother"-like, but Downtown Visions says in eight-year history, it has never been accused of invading someone's privacy.
