A hidden camera, presumably installed by thieves, has been found in the yard of a home in San Marino. According to the San Marino Police Department, a gardener found the camouflaged hidden camera while trimming a fence at a home at 2500 Canterbury Road last weekend. The device was recovered by police who responded to a report, and no additional details have been released so far. This is the fourth hidden camera found in LA County since March.
The same incident occurred on the 2nd at a home in a gated community complex in Chino Hills (as reported on page A3 of the 6th issue of this newspaper), and the owner of the home was confirmed to be Korean, which almost resulted in Korean victims.
At the time, police searched the bushes and found a hidden camera disguised as a flowerpot connected to a power supply.
The homeowner, Mr. Kim, said, “The couple lives in the house alone, so they are relatively free of the house,” and “We quickly installed surveillance cameras around the house to prevent further damage.”
Then on the 11th, a woman in Encino, a Valley neighborhood, reported to police that she had discovered a hidden camera installed in a tree in front of the front door and a wire hidden in the bushes while visiting her parents’ home with her children.
Another hidden camera was recently discovered after a home invasion robbery in the West Hills neighborhood. The practice of installing hidden cameras outside houses for the purpose of burglary has recently become a trend in Southern California, including Glendale, Temecula, Arcadia, Alhambra, and Garden Grove.
Last year, Glendale police arrested four Colombians suspected of operating a “burglary tourism” operation using hidden cameras. Three other Colombians were arrested in Temecula in connection with a similar scheme.
In May of last year, a Korean resident of Gardena, Lee, discovered a hidden camera disguised with leaf-printed duct tape while watering her front yard. Police said, “Recently, there have been many cases of Asian homes, including Koreans, being damaged by thieves who traveled from Central and South America,” adding, “These thieves are mostly Chilean or Colombian nationals, and they travel around various areas of Southern California to commit crimes.”
Hidden cameras typically consist of a camera, a battery pack, and a memory card. Police explained that the prevalence of hidden cameras in residential areas is related to home invasion theft. Home thieves are monitoring residents’ comings and goings and deciding when to break in.
Police advise that to prevent hidden camera victims, ▲keep your home well-lit, ▲ask a trusted gardener to regularly inspect trees and shrubs for hidden devices, and ▲install a video surveillance system to check for suspicious activity. Police also urge people to report any hidden cameras they find around their homes immediately and not touch the cameras until the site has been investigated.