Chattanooga police intelligence center investigator witnesses burglary suspects leaving scene in real-time on public safety cameras

A screenshot of the Chattanooga Police Department's public safety camera footage shows Thomas and Kevin Webb leaving a home that they're suspected of burglarizing on May 19, 2019.
A screenshot of the Chattanooga Police Department's public safety camera footage shows Thomas and Kevin Webb leaving a home that they're suspected of burglarizing on May 19, 2019.
photo Kevin Webb

Just as a burglary 911 call came in Sunday evening, investigators in the Chattanooga Police Department's Real-Time Intelligence Center quickly checked the nearest public safety camera. And sure enough, there were two men leaving the scene.

Those two men, later identified as suspects Kevin and Thomas Webb, had allegedly asked a neighbor moments before about renting a house in the 2000 block of Rawlings Street just before breaking into the empty home, Hamilton County court records show.

The woman told police she saw Kevin Webb walk around to the back of the house and pry open a back window before walking through the house to open the front door for Thomas Webb.

The men then ran away, the woman said.

In the meantime, investigator Annie Crider had already pulled up the live feed from the department's public safety camera located on the same block as the house.

For the first time, a Chattanooga police investigator watched an alleged crime take place in real time through the department's public safety cameras.

photo Thomas Webb

Crider saw two suspects leaving the house and turning onto Roanoke Avenue.

"I thought that it was great that I was able to assist patrol," she said. "A lot of times, when we make arrests, you have to go by witness statements and such, but it was pretty amazing to be able to see it happening in real time and to be able to send that video to the officers so they can use it in court as evidence."

Investigators regularly pull up live feeds or pre-recorded footage to help police on the ground, with the most frequent types of requests being for shootings, shots-fired reports, disorders, homicides, robberies and assault.

The footage is saved for 30 days unless it's evidence in a case.

The police department has 29 public safety cameras located around the city, each encased in a large, white box emblazoned with the police department's badge and a flashing blue light. The city also has roughly 300 security cameras that all feed into the department's Real-Time Intelligence Center.

Back at the home on Rawlings Street, police noted several light bulbs, one light switch and two toilet bolts missing, court records show.

Police located the suspects at the intersection of Roanoke Avenue and Windsor Street and took them back to the house on Rawlings Street, court records state.

One light bulb, a light switch and two bolts were recovered.

Police also found a screwdriver in Kevin Webb's possession. They believe it was used to pry open the window.

Thomas and Kevin Webb each were charged with aggravated burglary. Kevin Webb also was charged with possession of burglary tools.

Kevin Webb's bond was set at $3,500, and Thomas Webb's bond at $2,000.

Contact Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.

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