BOULDER COUNTY - The same kind of high definition digital television that’s being sold to you is also popping up in the world of private security. From the looks of things, crime fighting will never be the same. Those fuzzy robbery suspect photos from surveillance sometimes distributed by police could soon become a thing of the past. Crystal clear facial images can be taken from video cameras some distance away, according to security experts. Security experts say the quality of security cameras is getting better, while the cost is coming down. Some security camera firms such as SuperCircuits sell low-cost undercover cameras disguised as exit signs, tissue boxes and computer speakers for $100 or $200.

Higher-end cameras franchised through security firms such as 3xLogic and Digatron are bringing high-definition digital pictures to your local service station and liquor store. Superior Liquors in Boulder County covers 20,000 square feet of retail space.

Owner/partner Pete Messimer installed 32 high-tech cameras, which cover virtually every square foot. The cameras are not covert - they hang in plain sight from the ceiling. Still, Messimer has caught two shoplifters in recent months who apparently thought that no one could simultaneously monitor so many cameras. "They were wrong," said Messimer.

When employees noticed that a certain brand of high-priced wine was vanishing, Messimer played back data that recorded days or even weeks worth of video from the shelf in question. The video clearly showed that a woman who came to the store every few days was carrying her purse and a shopping basket over one shoulder. She’d place a cheap bottle of wine in the basket, but whenever she passed the $135 wines, she’d slip the expensive bottle into her purse instead. "She got about $1,300 worth of wine," said Messimer. "We were able to document the loss, the specific times, burn a copy of the video, give it to the police and they made the arrest off the video. She still had most of the wine at her house when she was arrested."

Messimer says his video surveillance system has paid for itself many times over. Brian Davis, of 3xLogic Intelligent Video Surveillance, installed the system at Superior Liquors. Although the system is already incredibly clear, Davis says the technology will make tremendous leaps in the next 12 months. "You’ll see video quality double, even triple over what it’s been in the past couple of years. People would be stunned to see how clear security video is becoming. And prices of cameras are coming down," Davis said.

Davis says the next big development in the security industry will be a 360-degree camera that takes high definition digital video of the whole store at once. He says a business owner will be able to zoom in on any unusual activity in the entire zone being monitored. "That camera will revolutionize the industry," Davis said. "It’ll be better quality video than what you can see on your TV.

It’s going to get harder and harder to get away with stealing." (Copyright

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