THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 7, 1997 TAG: 9702070525
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 82 lines
When Joseph Rozzano found his home twice the target of a burglar last fall, he got fed up. But he didn't give up.
Instead, he invested in a small video camera that could be hidden in his home. And after a neighbor spotted a shadowy figure in the home Tuesday, a quick check of the videotape unmasked the elusive burglar.
``You see a very clear, full-frontal view of the individual,'' Rozzano said Thursday. ``You see him coming in, lurking behind the door to see if the coast is clear. Then there is a great profile shot of him. The whole time frame is maybe 15 to 20 minutes.''
Burglars usually avoid being seen and leave few traces - certainly not pictures of their faces. But armed with pictures taken from the video, investigators were able to quickly solve a crime that more often than not goes unsolved.
Police have charged 18-year-old Derick Snyder of the 2100 block of Grayfox Lane with burglary and grand larceny. The suspect lives a few blocks from the victim's home, said Mike Carey, a police spokesman.
Members of the 1st Precinct's Truancy Abatement Suppression Unit went out looking for the suspect Wednesday.
They had initially hoped to just learn his identity by showing the picture around. Instead, they spotted him on the street. A foot pursuit ended with Snyder in handcuffs.
Although the unit had tackled the case in the belief the suspect might be a truant, Carey said Thursday it did not appear that Snyder was attending any city school.
The charges against Snyder stem only from the latest burglary, Carey said. The earlier burglaries at Rozzano's home remain under investigation.
Rozzano said the two earlier burglaries occurred last fall at the home he shares with his wife and their three children in Hunt Club Forest.
``They had taken some very personal things of my wife's and some money,'' Rozzano said. ``They went through the house and went into the most sacred part of the house, our bedroom.''
The burglar had also taken something less tangible, but of no less value: the all-important sense of being safe and secure in one's residence.
Rozzano wanted to do something, but couldn't afford thousands for a big security system and didn't know that money spent on new locks would be a real deterrent.
``I figured, let me try something different,'' Rozzano said. ``So I went out and purchased a little camera with a time-lapse video recorder.''
Then there was the question of where to hide it. Rozzano selected a spot that overlooked the kitchen, where he suspected the burglar was getting in.
He also set some traps, just so he'd know if someone had come in. He left items around that any burglar would not pass up. Those would be the tipoff that something was amiss.
For months, nothing happened. Rozzano had hours of video of an empty home.
``My wife and I were actually discussing possibly removing the thing at the end of this month,'' Rozzano said. ``But she has a lot more patience than I do.''
Then, while he was at work Tuesday, a neighbor saw someone moving around in the house and called police. The suspect was gone when officers got there. But the videotape record was there.
Rozzano ran the tape, and there was the burglar.
``Patience and perseverance paid off,'' Rozzano said. ``A picture is worth a thousand words.'' And as much as 20 years in jail for Snyder if he is convicted.
``He's looking right into the camera,'' Carey said of the video of the burglar. ``But he never knew the camera was there at all.'' The tape is even time-stamped, showing that the intruder was in the house from about 9:50 to 10:10 a.m.
``It was a good effort on the part of everyone . . . neighbors and police,'' Rozzano said. ``It's a reassuring effort.''
Not only did the police get their man, Rozzano got back many of his belongings. And he's also feeling a renewed sense of personal security. He believes others should follow his lead.
``It's something people need to do,'' Rozzano said. ``People need to energize themselves and form a partnership with the police. You need to step up to that plate and take your swings.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Police say videotape shows Derick Snyder in the home of Joseph
Rozzano.
KEYWORDS: BURGLARY VIDEOTAPE ARREST