Forget knocking on the door.
Someone may have been casing a Southern California home from the bushes and now police are warning there may be more victims.
Whittier detectives investigating a burglary made a bizarre discovery: a concealed camera planted across the street from the burglarized property, tucked into landscaping like a low-budget spy movie.
And this wasn’t some flimsy gadget hoping to catch a Wi-Fi signal.
“A large battery that was connected the camera with its own hotspot,” the Whittier Police Department said.
The camera was hidden among artificial leaves and branches, according to a photo released by the Whittier Police Department — giving the little snooping device a surprisingly convincing disguise.
“Our detectives recently located a camera hidden in a bush across the street from a home that had been burglarized,” the department wrote on social media.
“Burglars may use concealed cameras or other surveillance methods to watch homes and identify crime opportunities.”
In other words, that innocent-looking bush may not be so innocent.
The camera was discovered at the dead end off Hadley St into the hills while detectives worked the burglary investigation.
Police have not said how long the camera had been there or determined who planted it.
The burglary investigation remains ongoing.
Now cops are telling residents to get off the couch and take a lap around their property.
Check the bushes and check the landscaping.
Basically, if it looks like a good place to hide a camera, give it a second look.
Authorities also recommend keeping trees and bushes trimmed, securing doors, windows and gates, using exterior lighting and security cameras, and installing alarms throughout the home.
And this isn’t the first time Southern California residents have been warned about cameras hiding in plain sight. In June, police in Brea issued a similar warning after a surveillance device was found concealed in bushes in a neighborhood, raising concerns that residents could be watched without knowing it.
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