Many security cameras come with top-notch features like the ability to withstand the toughest weather conditions or record clear images in the dark of night, but in order to get the maximum benefit from advanced equipment, security cameras must be placed in the most advantageous locations. The primary purposes of security cameras are investigation and deterrence, both goals that help determine where the equipment should be positioned. Place security cameras in locations where they will be most likely to record activity accurately for playback, and also where they can deter potential criminals from negative behavior.
Following this logic, four places make the best locations to put security cameras in order to investigate and deter crime in residences, businesses and government installations.
The first location is entrances and exits, which represent the best place to try and record facial images needed for identification. Make sure to set the camera to view an area about three-feet wide in order to record a facial identification image. Three feet is roughly the width of the average door. When placing a camera at the location of entrances and exits, be careful when pointing the camera toward exterior doors, where the sudden change in light can cause severe darkness in your image. It may be easier to view an exit with the camera facing away from outside light and providing a more even image. Finally, when trying to capture a facial image, it helps to place a television or monitor near an entrance to draw visitors’ eyes toward the screen. If the security camera is near the television or monitor, it will help capture a clear facial image, not to mention deter potential criminals who see the surveillance monitor.
The second excellent place to put security cameras is at the point of customer transactions. These transaction points include cash registers, teller stations and kiosks, which make smart points at which to capture investigative images. The presence of cameras also helps to deter people who might be considering robberies. Make sure to keep the cameras about seven feet high and point them directly toward the area, where mounting the cameras too high, such as on the ceiling, will only provide images of the tops of people’s heads and not faces.
The next best place to position security cameras is at the location of targets, which include cash drawers, jewelry cabinets, safes, filing cabinets, and other locations that my be attractive to thieves. The goal in these locations is to capture as wide as possible an image in order to review a crime rather than identify a face. Cameras at target positions also may be mounted high so that they can peer down into small spaces like cabinets and drawers.
Finally, security cameras should be placed in secluded locations such as parking lots and back alleys where they can deter and investigate crimes including vandalism and violence. When human eyes are nowhere to be found, seeing the eye of the camera in a secluded may stop a potential criminal from committing a terrible act.
Security cameras serve the two primary purposes of investigating and deterring crime. In order to accomplish these goals, the best locations to place security cameras are entrances and exits, customer transaction points, target areas, and in secluded places.
