Stores aren’t always quick to cough up security camera video after a robbery

When an armed robbery happens at a store, security camera video is usually the best clue investigators have, but it’s not always easy to get.

Robberies tend to happen late at night, and store clerks working at that hour often don’t know how to work the security camera system, Warner Robins Police Chief Brett Evans says. The owner or store manager who can get the video isn’t always nearby or willing to zip right over in the wee hours of the morning.

A basic rule of thumb in police work is that the faster the evidence can be collected after a crime, the better chances are of capturing a suspect.

That’s why the Warner Robins City Council is considering an ordinance that would require stores to produce security camera video within an hour after a robbery happens. The council held the first reading of the ordinance at its meeting on Aug. 21 and will vote on it at its meeting Tuesday.

If the ordinance passes, Evans said store owners and managers are going to have to make sure someone in the store at all times knows how to get the video or that someone can be there quickly to get it.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Stores aren’t always quick to cough up security camera video after a robbery."