Some speed enforcement is simply excessive, but most of us can agree that you shouldn’t speed through a school zone. A photo enforcement van was monitoring a school zone in Greeley, Colorado, when a man reportedly threw a rock at it, breaking a window and injuring the occupant, reports CBS News. It should not have been a surprise that the entire incident was recorded on camera, leading to the arrest of the alleged perpetrator.
It was not the van’s built-in cameras, but the Greeley Police Department’s real-time information center cameras in the area that saw the whole thing. In a video on its Facebook page, a man in a red hoodie is visible walking through a parking lot next to the van. The video shows him stopping, throwing an object at the van, and then running away.
Police say the object was a ten-pound rock, which a photo shows is the size of a man’s hand. The aim was on target, as the rock smashed the side window and caused the technician working inside the van minor injuries. The cost of the damage is said to be $2,600. A window doesn’t cost that much in itself, so it’s possible that some of the equipment inside the van was damaged as well.
Big Brother is watching you
Even without video surveillance, the van’s occupant could have quickly called police and told them the man in the red hoodie went that-a-way. But the cameras above the van helped track him down more quickly, and provided video evidence of the crime. Police charged Greeley resident Dillan Roker with attempted first-degree assault, criminal mischief, and third-degree assault. He also already had a warrant for an unrelated misdemeanor. We don’t know if it was related to a photo enforcement van catching him speeding.
Like it or not, cameras are everywhere these days. While the police owned and operated the ones involved here, they can access private cameras as well, particularly if one happens to record a crime and the owner shares it voluntarily. Your own camera can be used as evidence against you as well. We don’t recommend committing crimes, but it’s worth being aware that someone, somewhere, is always watching you. Attacking a van that you know has cameras may be something you should avoid. Also, a bright red hoodie makes you stand out like a redshirt on “Star Trek.”
