Police are warning residents to be vigilant after a hidden camera was found in the front yard of a home in Arcadia.
Authorities believe thieves are using these cameras to watch residents as they leave and arrive at their homes to find a good time to break in.
This is the second camera that has been found in the city of Arcadia.
The neighbor who spotted the camera said he saw it while he was out walking with his dog Tuesday morning on Highland Oaks Drive and Virginia Road.
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He said the camera was hidden among some fake leaves, which he found odd. The neighbor then called the police.
Law enforcement officials said burglars are using these camera when they are casing a neighborhood and gathering information on when residents are leaving their homes.
This gives them a time frame on when the residents are gone and when they can possibly target the home.
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Arcadia police said their forensics team will be analyzing the device they found and try to figure out how much information was captured and who may have been collecting this data.
“We haven’t been able to prove whether or not they were working and functioning. So the last one we did not get any info from and this one it just got booked into evidence today and our technicians will be taking a look at it next week,” Lt. John Bonomo with the Arcadia Police Department said.
Another camera was found in the same city in July and was also spotted by a neighbor.
Arcadia police said residents can always call them to see if there are hidden cameras or if they find something suspicious.
They also advise residents to check their homes, their bushes, make sure their properties are well lit and install their own home security systems.