Deputies are warning residents to check their property after a hidden camera was found outside a home in the Calabasas area.
The camera, which was turned in Friday, was discovered in a flower bed at a home by a resident, according to the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. The camera was found in the bushes and was camouflaged to prevent it from being seen, but it's not known how long it was there or who put it there.
The sheriff's department told KNX News’ Jon Baird it was consistent with the cameras being used to scout locations for burglaries.
Hidden cameras have also been found at residences in Chino Hills, Temecula, Garden Grove, and Glendale.
The Glendale Police Department said four men were arrested in connection with “transnational burglary operations,” or “burglary tourism." Officers arrested the men after performing a traffic stop.
During a car search, police found a “video surveillance device with a battery pack charging system camouflaged with leaves.”
A woman who lives in the Calabasas neighborhood told KNX News’ Jon Baird what’s happening is disturbing.
“I heard about the Glendale situation and thought, ‘oh, God, I'm glad I don't live in Glendale,’ but now it's here and it's probably everywhere,” she said.
One man said his neighbor in Porter Ranch had something similar happen to him.
“They put a camera and then they caught him on the personal cameras with the mask on putting the camera in,” he said. “So they're tailgating them through the gated community. That's why they want people to stop. So, the gate closes behind them. They have a picture of them putting a camera down in their flower bed like a rock and then they filmed it on their own camera.”
Anyone who finds a suspicious device was urged to contact their local law enforcement.
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