Crooks get cameras; video gets them

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An Albuquerque business has caught the attention of some thieves, but they're not after what's inside.  They're after what's keeping an eye on the business.

Just before 3 a.m. on Monday security cameras caught two men creep up to the Twice The Ice store on Copper NE off of Tramway Boulevard. A sign posted there made it clear surveillance cameras were at work on the premises.

Albuquerque Police Department Officer Robert Gibbs said the two men knew they were being watched because those signs are what caught their eye.

“They're actually high-tech cameras that are valued over $500,” Gibbs said. “They wanted them badly enough that they wanted to climb a high wall to get to them.”

Gibbs said one of the men shimmied up the wall to get the pricey property perched on the roof. Video shows the first one was violently ripped off of the wall.

Then the pair spotted a second one, and it cames down, too.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of the cameras being stolen,” Gibbs said.

The men may think they're getting away with it, but the owners said they need to think again. The camera system is all backed up satellite away from the premises.

So while the cameras are gone, video of the men’s faces will be in the hands of the owners and police forever.

Police don't know if they failed to notice a third camera that caught them walk up and walk away with the goods.

Believe it or not, the owners said it’s not a first time camera thieves have hit the business. In February, two other cameras were stolen.

For now, police don't know if it's the same guys but think there's a possibility.

“It seems like they have particular interest in cameras, so this might be the only place where they're doing it,” Gibbs said.

Police said if the thieves are pawning the cameras they probably didn't get even close to the amount they cost.

There are still four cameras at the store, and those feeds are still being monitored. The owners said they will replace the stolen cameras.