ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A local businessman has had enough of the city’s crime problem, so he’s taking to social media for help.
Douglas Peterson, who owns properties all over the metro, is putting the faces of all the vandals and trespassers he catches on his security cameras on blast and is even offering rewards for tips leading to convictions.
The Peterson Properties president said he has spent thousands of dollars repairing damage from vandals.
“This window on Sunday was broken out with a crowbar by a man for no reason whatsoever,” Peterson said while describing surveillance video recorded at 325 Central NW, near Fourth and Central.
Peterson added that these common crimes at his buildings don’t phase him anymore, having at least eight windows broken in downtown over the past two months. Now, he’s taking this costly problem for Albuquerque businesses into his own hands.
“We have about 800 cameras around town, so we’re starting to get a lot of footage of things like this being done,” he explained.
In addition to the cost of the cameras, fences and security personnel at his properties, he’s starting to dish out more money to blast the offenders with sponsored posts on social media.
“I think it will help promote it and create awareness,” one person said.
The Peterson Properties Facebook page shows surveillance from Sunday’s incident and a car break-in in broad daylight. In both cases, Peterson is rewarding thousands of dollars to any tipster who can help lead to a conviction. He said it’s an investment in reducing crime overall in downtown.
“We are downtown’s largest property owner, so we do what’s necessary to protect our properties and enhance downtown,” he said. “At the very least, people will know that when they commit a crime, it’ll be caught on camera. And, it’s up to people beyond us to make sure that they get prosecuted and convicted.”
The posts are already getting attention. People have been submitting tips about the incident on Sunday, but it’s doesn’t appear anyone has been arrested for it yet.
