COASTAL OBSERVER

In the space of two early morning hours last week there were more car break-ins on Pawleys Island than in the previous five years: 25 vehicles at 15 houses on the island’s north end.

Police identified three suspects, all Georgetown teens, whom they expected to interview this week.

The spree led Police Chief Mike Fanning to urge island property owners to install security cameras. There were three at houses in the area between First Street and the north end where the break-ins occurred.

“It’s really imperative that people get cameras at their houses,” Fanning told the Town Council this week.

It isn’t just for solving crimes. 

“With the way the criminal justice system is moving,” Fanning said, juries “want to see video. They want to see evidence.”

The break-ins took place between 12:30 and 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 8. Later that day, the town sent an email to property owners asking them to check their vehicles and encouraging those with security cameras to provide video to the police.

The video from the home cameras that police reviewed show the three suspects walking up to the vehicles, pulling on the door handles and walking away. All of the cars that were entered were unlocked, Fanning said.

He suspects they were looking for guns and cash. They stole one gun and an undisclosed amount of cash. At one house, they took loose gem stones and antique coins that the owner planned to take to a show.

The gems “had mostly sentimental value,” the owner told Fanning. The 19 silver dollars were later found scattered along the side of the street.

The town also has video cameras that it first installed in 2013 to read license plates and the following year to capture video. It has increased the number of cameras in recent years as the town cut back on the number of officers and no longer provided 24-7 coverage. It relies on the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office to respond to calls when police are off duty, which occurs on a varying schedule.

“We got them on the First Street camera, although it was very dark,” Fanning said.

The new camera at Third Street was damaged during the summer heat, which wasn’t apparent until police tried to view the video. Unlike other cameras on the island, it doesn’t stream the video to police. That’s due to the cost, Fanning said.

But the suspects parked and walked, and the video they had provided the license number of a vehicle. It was registered to a Georgetown woman who told police she wasn’t out at that time of night.

Fanning said the woman’s grandson lives with her and Georgetown police were “well acquainted” with the teen.

Where the video falls short is that none of it, so far, shows the suspects actually entering the vehicles. Fanning said that’s what prosecutors want before obtaining warrants for searches or arrests.

But 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said in an interview that all his office needs is probable cause, which he defined as at least “51 percent” likelihood that the suspect was connected to the crime.

“We don’t have to have it on video,” Richardson said. “The more we can get, the better, but the truth is you only need 51 percent.”

That could come from DNA, confessions, witnesses or other evidence, such as smartphone data, he added.

Detective Jono Fairfield said his experience has been different.

“The first thing they want to know is, Where’s the video,” he said.

He recalled a case where a driver he tried to stop for speeding refused to stop when he put on his blue light. 

The dashboard camera in the patrol car wasn’t working and even though there was a record of his radio transmissions as he pursued the vehicle, he couldn’t make a case for “failure to stop.”

Fairfield said the driver told him he wanted to get to the south end parking lot before he stopped so that his vehicle wouldn’t need to be towed.

Fairfield said it’s also hard to make a case for theft if the video shows a suspect carrying the stolen item near the scene, but not actually taking the item. 

“In the old days, you might have made the connection,” he said. “The public wants to see the video.”

Richardson agreed that video makes it easier for a jury to convict, but pointed out that the standard is “reasonable doubt.”

“They’ve got him on camera in one place trying to break in. Somewhere else a car was broken into,” he said. “If you can narrow it down, you don’t need video.”

Still, it makes sense for homeowners to use the technology, Richardson said.

“I’ve got a camera at my house,” he said. “I’m sure you have one, too.”

A few years ago, Fanning looked into getting a bulk discount for security cameras for property owners. He couldn’t find any that provided much of a deal and the owners would still have to pay for the service.

With most of the houses on the island used as vacation homes and rentals, security cameras also raise concerns about privacy and upkeep, Fanning said.

Installation of cameras by the town led to an immediate drop in house break-ins during the off-season. They have also helped solve crimes like last week’s car break-ins.

But Fanning said, “it’s just one piece of the puzzle.”

Pawleys Island is a target for break-ins because of its vacation culture, Fairfield said. People are here to relax, not worry about crime.

“The easiest solution is for people to just lock their cars,” Fairfield said.

“Amen,” Richardson said.