The installation of surveillance cameras by the private sector has been a key factor in helping the Police identify those responsible for recent violent acts. As reported in El Caribe, a video camera recorded a watchman at Caribe Express in Bavaro tying himself up to pretend he was not involved, before thieves entered and stole RD$5 million.
Many cameras are installed in concealed locations and have caught crimes on tape and enabled the criminals to be identified by their clothes, the kind of vehicle they use and even the caliber of their weapons.
In a recent case of the attack on engineer Francina Hungria, the criminals were quickly identified because a video camera at a travel business caught the two men on tape while running away after committing a robbery, when they attacked Hungria to steal her vehicle, blinding her with a bullet in the act.
Another case was the filming of the death of Soanny Montero, in her own vehicle, with no one else present. There had been speculation that she was murdered. Montero parked her vehicle right under the video camera in the underground parking lot at Caribe Tours. The video confirmed that she had arrived alone and that no one else entered or left her vehicle before or after her death.
Other cases where video cameras have helped include the murder of Ruben Soto Hayet, owner of La Francesa bakery, of Jose Silvestre in La Romana, and the murder of two men at Cool Bar on Avenida Venezuela.
El Caribe reports the government has installed around 400 surveillance cameras at key points around the greater Santo Domingo area. The newspaper also points to the value of smart phones and mobile video cameras in fighting crime. Recently, Chief of the Police Jose Polanco announced the installation of an additional 600 cameras.