Photos appearing to show a man caught on video burglarizing a business in Citrus Heights on Tuesday were released by police on social media yesterday, with officers hopeful the images will help identify the suspect.
“Look familiar?” police asked on their Twitter page on Wednesday, which is followed by over 4,000 people. “Please contact CHPD if you can identify him. You can remain anonymous.”
Asked for additional details, Lt. Michael Wells said the incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 20, where an unknown suspect forced entry into a closed business on Auburn Boulevard.
Police described the photos as depicting a man with a beard in his mid-to-late twenties hopping over a counter, shining a flashlight around, and rifling through a cash drawer. According to times listed on the surveillance images, the man was inside the business for at least five minutes.
Wells said the suspect stole several items, but did not specify the dollar value involved. The name of the business involved was also not included.
The suspect is described as a white male with brown hair, wearing a “Skin Industries” t-shirt. Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect depicted in the photos is asked to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department at (916) 727-5000.
As reported on The Sentinel last week, police released still images from security footage depicting a commercial theft suspect. In both cases, footage quality is adequate enough for police to believe the public may be able to identify the suspect.
[From last week: Citrus Heights police seek to identify man in connection with retail theft ]
Other times however, Lt. Wells said cameras have not provided adequate footage for suspect identification. Asked to offer advice on recommended surveillance equipment features, Wells said he was not a surveillance tech expert but highlighted the importance of cameras with night vision capabilities.
“Most crimes, particularly burglaries involving vehicles in driveways, occur at night,” he told The Sentinel via email Wednesday. “In these cases, cameras stationed outside without night vision will only provide shadows or blurs and doesn’t provide much in the way of suspect description.”
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact CHPD.
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