ECAMSECURE Surveillance Leads to Arrests and Recovery of $20M in Los Angeles Rail Thefts
December 1, 2022 -- ECAMSECURE, a GardaWorld company and leader in innovative, adaptable surveillance security solutions, assisted the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to bust a major rail crime ring, leading to 22 arrests and the recovery of approximately $20 million in stolen goods.
In November and December 2021, rail theft in LA led the Los Angeles Police Department’s Commercial Crimes Division Train Burglary Task Force (TBTF) to conduct surveillance of known cargo theft suspects. Detective Joseph Chavez and Officer Mark Sternin were among the team assigned to the case.
Following a meeting with the TBTF, ECAMSECURE designed a surveillance solution of free-standing Mobile Surveillance Unit (MSU) MINIs and monitoring software, the Virtual Guard Platform, to be undetected by suspects and capable of close, flexible observation. The MSU MINI cameras were equipped with night vision and pan-and-zoom capabilities, increasing the ability to detect criminal behavior around the clock.
ECAMSECURE’s video feed went directly to software that alerted officers of potential infractions via secure web connections. “We could operate the pan and zoom cameras ourselves, through our devices,” said Officer Sternin. “The controls on the web tool are very simple: arrows and icons. The cameras reacted very quickly to our controls; there was almost no lag time.”
“Our cameras and monitoring software are a robust, agile security solution that were tailored to meet the exact needs of the Task Force,” said Jordan Lippel, CPP, VP of Sales at ECAMSECURE. “Detective Chavez and his team needed a strategy that was safe and effective, and allowed law enforcement officers to monitor activity without being exposed. Our technology enabled the Task Force to conduct, essentially, a virtual stakeout.”
Through ECAMSECURE surveillance, the TBTF was able to identify suspects and revealed them loading stolen property into a vehicle. Investigators then tracked the vehicle to a warehouse of stolen goods and arrested the occupants and people at the facility.
Detective Chavez says of cargo theft today, “Train theft has gone down immensely. ECAMSECURE would be my first choice in any investigation I would do. We wouldn’t have been able to solve the case, had it not been for their technology, it blew the case wide open.” Since the TBTF was formed, calls for service along the railway have dropped by 68 percent.
“ECAMSECURE’s ability to move beyond the rail, and start impacting the organized crime efforts, led to the overall success of the task force, and ultimately led to the arrest of the individuals,” shared LAPD Captain Alfonso Lopez of the Commercial Crimes Division.
For more information about ECAMSECURE and how it can efficiently and effectively extend the reach of law enforcement, visit https://www.ecamsecure.com/.
About ECAMSECURE
ECAMSECURE, a GardaWorld company, is the pioneer in outdoor video surveillance, providing portable surveillance systems that combine AI, technology, and state of the art mobile security equipment for over 20+ years. ECAMSECURE is part of GardaWorld, a global champion in security services, integrated risk management and cash solutions, employing more than 120,000 highly skilled and dedicated professionals. With a deep understanding that security is critical to conducting business and keeping communities safe, GardaWorld is proud to be the long-standing security partner of choice to prominent brands, Fortune 500 corporations and governments. For more information, visit https://ecamsecure.garda.com.
