Keeping Them Honest with Sky Watch

The sheriff’s department Sky Watch tower was recently moved to Santee Trolley Square to help deter car burglaries, purse snatching and other crimes during the holiday shopping season. The tower is equipped with an ultra-high-resolution camera that can record faces, license plate numbers and even a nametag on a shirt. Deputies don’t have to be in the tower; they can remotely connect to the surveillance equipment and radio observations to patrol vehicles. The tower is one of the tools used during Operation Holiday Watch, a special enforcement and crime prevention effort that runs from Thanksgiving to Jan. 2.