Help me catch this thief!!

[cloud35]

Hello everyone,

I am pleading for your help. My mother was robbed last weekend and I need some help with the video footage we have. This scumbag dragged her along the sidewalk while trying to snatch her purse. I have some video of the guy casing the place where my mom works. Unfortunately, his complexion is really dark and we can't make out many of his facial features. I am begging for your help in enhancing the video quality and brightening the image if possible. The DVR I received the footage from records the videos in blocks so the file is kind of large and is now on my google drive. If you look at the time stamp in the upper left corner of the screen, he will appear in a grey striped collared shirt and a white rag on his head around 19:40:20. He will push his bike past the entrance of the store then walk back to peek into the door.

Video Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5n7HqvmCfdlWkl0b1l6aHA4bUE/view?usp=drive_web


Any help is much appreciated. I really want to catch this *******!!!!

[TreeTops]

Give the video to the police. They have forensics lab that can do wonders. You watch NCIS don't you?

[cloud35]

I've already done that. And admittedly, the detective told me that the forensics department here is way backed up and honestly, crimes like this don't rank that high to warrant something as thorough as enhancing footage. Not to mention, he said the limit of the technology they have available was taking the footage and just uploading it to youtube. That's why I'm here asking for any help you guys can give me. Thanks again.

[Cornucopia]

Ignore TreeTops' sarcasm.

Luckily, your footage isn't that terrible to begin with, so it is possible to adjust somewhat constructively.

IIWY, I'd:
Use AfterEffects and create a traveling matte, which in essence makes a cutout of the "changes". Since there are likely changes in the car traffic as well as the perp's movements, you'd also need to do a garbage matte.
Then, with your cutout, you could boost the brightness levels & possibly some contrast as well. You can fudge on the outcome of the shirt/pants/etc., as you are focusing on improved recognition of the face, I would guess.
Then you can do a triangulated & calculated estimation of the perp's height (based on the horizon lines and the assumed (or measured) height of the nearby door.

That ought to get you enough for the cops to work with.

I'll attempt an example later tonight...

Scott

[usually_quiet]

I've already done that. And admittedly, the detective told me that the forensics department here is way backed up and honestly, crimes like this don't rank that high to warrant something as thorough as enhancing footage. Not to mention, he said the limit of the technology they have available was taking the footage and just uploading it to youtube. That's why I'm here asking for any help you guys can give me. Thanks again.

The kind of video/photo enhancement you see actors doing on TV police dramas makes for an interesting story but is impossible in real life. No doubt someone here will try to help you, but based on what happened with similar threads in past. I doubt that there are enough pixels available to enhance to the point where the suspect's face can be recognized.

[cloud35]

Yea I know that those shows aren't realistic and figured this was a long shot but any shot is worth it. Thanks again for any help you guys can provide.

[Acesn8s]

hey m8 sorry about any hassles to you and your mum.. does this vid have the actual footage of her being mugged/robbed ?
or is it just him casing the place ??

its a long vid and i only skipped though it, and if so missed that bit..

as others have said its probably a long shot, but still may be able to zoom in and sharpen the vid up at that point

[TreeTops]

And I apologize for my sarcasm.

[cloud35]

The mugging happens across the street and is unfortunately out of frame. However, witnesses and my mother described his attire and it matches exactly to this guy here. We've also recovered the bike which he ditched at the scene. Unfortunately, the bike was too dirty to lift any prints. If you go by the time stamp on the upper left hand corner of the video, he appears at about 19:40 from the left corner, walking away from the camera but then turns around to look through the doors. If you go by the video player, it is at about the 2 hour 16 minute mark. He is wearing a grey striped shirt with a white rag on his head. Thanks again everyone.

[Cornucopia]

Getting a 404 error when trying to DL the file...Can you upload it to another site, or PM me so I can give you an upload site?

Scott

[Cornucopia]

***Not able to upload a local photo via PM (doesn't show the files list & select files button portion of the dialog)***

Scott

[budwzr]

Nice work Scottage. That looks like the same guy that stole my bike a while ago.