Coral Springs Police Install Cameras In Parks To Halt Burglaries

By Nicol Jenkins
Editor

Jill Rothman of Coral Springs is just one of many to become a helpless victim to a rash of burglaries in city parks.

Rothman’s car was broken into and her purse was stolen while enjoying a picnic with her children at Riverside Park in broad daylight- and her purse was not in plain view.

“There was a park full of people, and my purse was not visible from my windows,” said Rothman. The robbers took her wallet full of credit cards, cash and other valuables.

But Rothman is not alone. This scene is becoming a weekly occurrence at Coral Springs parks.

Burglars are staking out parks, looking for motorists who leave their vehicles without purses, and then preying upon those citizens, according to Coral Springs police.

“Auto burglars do target parks because many citizens go to the park to workout or walk and leave their purses or bags in the cars,” said Sergeant Jim Evecker of the Coral Springs Police Department, adding, “This is the same reason that fitness centers are targeted along with day care centers. The burglars watch people leave their vehicle without a purse or bag and wait for the person to be out of sight. They then break into the car and find the purse or bag.”

Cameras

Hoping to curb this growing problem of auto robberies in parks, Coral Springs police have added cameras to various city parks to catch burglars in the act. Over the last three years, the police department has installed cameras at Betti Stradling and Cypress Park. Part of Mullins Park is covered with cameras. In addition, police are in the process of installing cameras at North Community Park, and each year police plan to add cameras to one park at a time. The cameras were paid for from forfeiture funds.

“The number of cameras at each park is dependant on the park size and the area to be covered. We primarily cover the parking areas of the parks. License plate readers are part of the system,” he said. “The park cameras were proposed to combat the increase in auto burglaries that lead to identity thefts and credit card crimes.”

But how often are the cameras monitored?

The cameras are not regularly monitored, according to Evecker. However, he added that “cameras are monitored as needed and reviewed to retrieve video of an incident.”

So far, Evecker says the cameras have been beneficial in catching some crooks.

“We have had arrests and convictions on crimes that have occurred in the parks and the cameras were used to identify and arrest the suspects,” Evecker said.

However, Rothman does not believe the cameras will be much of a deterrent.

“With cameras, robbers could park far away and run,” Rothman said. “They should have more police patrolling the parks.”

Either way, the local mom said she will still bring her kids to the park.

“I’m not scared to go back,” she said.

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