“Honestly, I don’t know how far he would have gone. He might not have stopped. He just kept hitting her on the body and on the head.” — Alain Ramirez, Command Center Director at AVS
In the early morning hours of a Saturday in late July, Alfonso Granados received an alert from one of the cameras he was monitoring as a remote guard. After switching to the camera that had sent the alert, he witnessed a severe domestic violence attack in progress.
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Alfonso’s immediate response and collaboration with Las Vegas police helped put the man behind bars and potentially saved the woman’s life. To find out more about what happened, we talked with AVS Command Center Director Alain Ramirez about the incident.
Q: In your own words, what happened?
A: We’re contracted to watch a property overnight. Part of our system includes a virtual perimeter that notifies us anytime someone crosses onto the property.
Around 2:30 in the morning, a woman from a residence across the street crossed that perimeter and sat down to use her cell phone. This triggered an alert, which was sent to Alfonso. He immediately began monitoring the property through the camera.
Using our two-way audio system, Alfonso told the woman she was trespassing and told her she needed to leave, which she did.
About 15 minutes later, Alfonso received another alert and found that the woman had run back onto the property, followed by a man. He trapped her between the building and a gate. He then proceeded to start beating her in the head and body, about 15 times in less than 30 seconds.
So, Alfonso initiated our talk-down feature and informed the man to stop hitting her. He warned the man that he was being watched, and that the authorities had been notified. The man immediately stopped the violence and retreated. A few minutes later, he returned and dragged the woman back to the residence across the street where they came from.
Using another one of our cameras, Alfonso was able to track his progress and zoom in so he could identify the subject and the residence where he ended up.
Alfonso then collaborated with Vegas police officers to locate the unit. Police surrounded the apartment and eventually got inside after a four-hour stand-off. The woman was released and they apprehended the attacker after Alfonso confirmed his identify, again, using our cameras.
Q: The news report indicated that you stumbled across this footage, is that accurate?
A: No, that’s not really how it happened. Our system works by using high-tech cameras that detect intrusions and then send alerts to remote guards to verify those intrusions and intervene, if necessary.
Coming across this incident was an example of our software and our platform working exactly as it’s intended to. Someone entered the property, an alert was sent to our guard. The guard verified the alert and immediately intervened using two-way audio.
This was a unique outcome for sure, but the process that led to our involvement was no accident. It’s the same process that helps us stop thousands of crimes every year.
Q: Does Alpha Video Surveillance come across many incidents like this?
A: This was the first incident I’m aware of that had this level of violence. Most of the criminals and intruders we see are deterred as soon as we start talking to them and advise them that they’re being watched. Things never get to this point, but this happened so quickly once they entered the property.
Q: What was likely to happen if Alpha Video Surveillance did not step in?
A: Honestly, I don’t know how far he would have gone. He might not have stopped. He just kept hitting her on the body and on the head. He was over the top of her and was much heavier, with a muscular build. She was very petite. It didn’t look like he was going to stop.
Q: What’s your response to “electronic eyes are always watching”?
A: I didn’t feel very good about it. I think that’s something the media likes to say to take a stab at a Big Brother idea. It’s true that there are more cameras watching properties now than ever before. But we don’t use these cameras just because we feel like it. We’re contracted by someone to watch their property. It’s our job and we’re doing it well.
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This story clearly demonstrates the power of remote guarding when paired with effective surveillance cameras. Remote guarding offers instant crime detection and prevention that has none of the liability or high costs associated with traditional on-site guards.
Want to find out what remote guarding can do for your business or property? Learn more about your options by getting your free quote today.