The Madison Police Department had an easy time locating the suspect in a street burglary that occurred Saturday evening on the 500 block of West Johnson by using the surveillance camera the victim had installed in his apartment.

Using the surveillance footage, the victim was able to pull up the suspect’s Facebook page for police to match the images in the video with the photos on her profile page, MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said.

DeSpain said it is common for surveillance cameras to be placed in apartments or houses by building owners, but it is not so typical to see the individuals living in apartments install their own cameras.

“We rely a lot on surveillance video,” DeSpain said. “They are mostly located on streets or buildings, and I have even seen some homeowners have them outside of their houses. But it is unusual for apartment residents to have their own surveillance cameras inside their apartments.”

The victim’s surveillance camera captured an identifying image of the suspect. A police report said the suspect was a woman the victim had previously met at a social gathering. She had entered the apartment by cutting through a window screen.

DeSpain said female robbers are not unheard of, but they are much less likely to be suspects in many of the cases he has seen. He said the women usually involved in local crimes are getaway drivers or accomplices.