CHEYENNE — After 38 years in law enforcement, Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak said there aren’t many criminals who can surprise him anymore.
Kozak served with the Mesa, Arizona, Police Department before becoming police chief for Avon, Colorado. Kozak then moved to Cheyenne, where he became the city’s longest-serving police chief, serving for 11 years.
During that time, he has seen criminals use all kinds of tactics and disguises to hide their identities from security cameras while committing crimes.
That’s why he wasn’t surprised to see a video released by the Cheyenne Police Department on Friday clearly showing two men stealing copper wire from Black Hills Energy.
That clip, posted to the CPD's Facebook page, clearly depicts the thieves’ unobscured faces, making them easy to identify.
Now in a time where almost everything is under surveillance, why do thieves continue to put their crimes on video for all to see — especially the law?
“The most obvious answer is because they’re stupid,” Kozak said. “A lot of times, drug addiction is such a driving force that they’ll take any risk to steal things for their drug addiction.”
In an age of modern technology, Kozak said criminals are becoming easier to bust thanks to the use of social media to enlist the help of residents.
“There’s no doubt in my mind the police department will get numerous tips on who these people are, which will help them solve this case,” he said. “My guess is these are stupid criminals who are just not aware, or didn’t take the time to look for a camera."
They may not have looked for a camera, but it was apparent on the video that they checked to make sure nobody was around.
Criminal Minds
While Kozak said some thieves will choose targets based on the number of security cameras present, thieves seem more concerned with dogs than cameras.
“It seems like dogs are probably more of a deterrent than cameras,” he said. “Bad guys say they can cover up their faces, but I think the dogs are the best deterrent. But cameras do help.”
Kozak said criminals often concern themselves only with concealing their faces. That doesn’t account for other revealing information, such as their voice, clothing or visible tattoos.
Videos captured on security cameras will sometimes allow community members who view them online to pick up on highly specific details such as an individual’s walking gait, he said. These videos become excellent tools for law enforcement officers to catch criminals.
“Eventually we will get the person,” he said. “Criminals, for the most part, are not smart. If they were smart, they would not be doing the crime.”
Real-life criminals also are never as intelligent as the ones seen on the crime dramas on TV. Kozak recalled he once examined a crime scene to find the criminal had left a wallet, and identification card, behind.
Even those who commit less-visible crimes like embezzling money from their workplaces are never as sneaky as they believe themselves to be.
“Some of these people think they’re pretty smart, but eventually they get caught,” he said.
Caught On Camera
Aaron Veldheer, chief deputy of operations for the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office, said cameras don’t seem to deter criminals, despite how prevalent they have become. Even residential neighborhoods are now full of doorbell cameras that capture incidents that happen on the street.
“There’s tons of security cameras out there,” he said. “Wherever you go, your potential for being on camera is getting greater and greater everyday.
“It’s quite frequent that we catch criminals on camera, because they’re readily accessible. You can go on Amazon and order one right now.”
Police who are investigating crimes often seek out neighbors in the area to see if they captured any video evidence that could help guide their search for a suspect, Veldheer said.
Veldheer recalled he once investigated someone who stole a gun while at a gun show. Video surveillance at that event captured the thief’s face and vehicle. Posting that video online allowed Laramie County officials to coordinate with law enforcement in Colorado to make an arrest.
Criminals often aren’t even aware they are being recorded as high-quality hidden cameras become more prevalent in business and public spaces, he said.
“There’s a longstanding joke in law enforcement that we only catch the dumb ones,” he said. “Are there people that do things that get away with it? I wouldn’t know because we don’t catch them.”
Most criminals, he added, also leave a very detailed digital fingerprint online that makes it easy to learn crucial details about them. Police often use social media and cellphone data to learn where a criminal lives and whether there are cameras in the area that may have captured them.
AI-Powered
Jeff Wenninger, founder of Law Enforcement Consultants and a retired Los Angeles Police Department officer, told Cowboy State Daily cameras are evolving artificial intelligence capabilities that can be used to recognize objects in a frame.
In one example, Wenninger explained schools can use cameras to recognize a shooter holding a gun before they even arrive to the building. Instead of allowing a shooting the happen, schools can go into immediate lockdown and call law enforcement.
Such capabilities are becoming highly valuable to law enforcement officers, he said.
“Today’s technology can be used very meaningfully in an investigation,” Wenninger said. “It’s not just security cameras, its cameras on peoples’ cellphones.”
Video evidence is driving the investigation into the assassination of conservative political influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed at an event in Utah on Wednesday. Police obtained images of the suspected shooter and involved online users in trying to identify the individual.
Wenninger said video evidence can help bolster arguments made in court, helping judges bring justice to those impacted by serious crimes.
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
