Camera

Wichita police say a hidden camera found at the North Branch of the YMCA last week was hidden inside a wall hook.  A YMCA member found the hook in the family locker room on Friday June 10th and turned it over to authorities.  Investigators have looked at the video and say it contains no explicit images of children. They say the video on the cameras was mostly recorded on Friday June 10th Between 9 and 11 a.m. Police would like to speak with anyone who used the family locker room during those hours.

Update: Wichita police say they'll have an update Friday on the investigation of a hidden camera found at the North Wichita YMCA. A member of the facility at K-96 and Woodlawn found the device in a locker room on Tuesday. According to the WPD Facebook page, officials will have a photograph of the device to release to the public as well as an update on the investigation. Stay with Eyewitness News for any updates. ------- Video voyeurism finds its way into a Wichita YMCA.  A member of the North Branch, off K-96 and Woodlawn, found the camera.  Police say it was in a locker room.  However, that's about all investigators can say, because details are scarce.

The San Diego Zoo has a new feature in its Safari Park ... a camera on a cheetah's back.  After six months of testing and tweaking, animal trainers finally approved a cheetah cam request from a station in San Diego, KFMB-TV. It’s a first of its kind request and thanks to an elastic harness and a go pro camera, viewers will see what it’s like to accelerate from zero to sixty in 3.4 seconds. Cheetahs have been clocked running at 71 miles-per hour. They are the fastest mammals in the world.

A state senator, caught speeding, is also caught on camera -- three times -- trying to talk her way out of a ticket. For the first time, she talks with us. Officers stopped Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau four times - in 2009, 2010, and in January of 2011. She successfully talks herself out of a ticket twice. On Wednesday afternoon, the senator said she never intended to try to get out of any tickets. She said it is up to the officer whether or not to write a ticket, or a warning or to do neither.

If you're having a hard time seeing out of your car, you're not alone. Cars designed with high trunks and hoods and low, sloping rooflines give a sleek appearance on the outside but can cause visibility problems from the inside. Consumer Reports tests cars for blind spots and says the new designs are making things much worse. It's a problem not only in traffic but also in driveways and parking lots. Wide rear pillars and smaller back windows make it especially hard to see out the back, even when you turn your head around.

Adam Herrman's adoptive parents, Valerie and Doug Herrman, declined an on-camera interview.  However, we stopped by their home in Derby and talked with Valerie about the case.  Off camera, she admitted to us that she did spank Adam with a belt and locked him in the bathroom overnight for months.  But, she says, that was because they found knives in his room and she was concerned for the family's safety. She also said her family is lying to the media about what happened in her house.

A man who stole a laptop was caught on camera by a secret spy app the owner installed--then activated when his computer was stolen.  It tracked the computer's locations and photographed the thief sleeping on a couch, sitting in bed using the computer...not  knowing the computer he was using was using him.  

When George and I headed to Fort Larned, I had no idea what to expect.  I've never visited a fort before.  But once you arrive, you're taken back in time.  You walk around the buildings solider's actually used in the 1860's.  There are uniforms, bunk beds, and other items they needed back then.  It's a hands on fort, to help you learn the history. Depending on the time of year, there are people dressed in period clothing who give demonstrations.  The blacksmith is fun to watch, as he repairs chain link fences and wagon parts for the fort.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Apple CEO Steve Jobs says the next iPhone will have a higher-resolution screen, longer battery life and thinner design. Jobs opened Apple's annual conference for software developers Monday by revealing the new iPhone 4, which is due to be released June 24. It will cost $199 or $299, depending on the capacity. It is about three-eighths of an inch thick; the previous iPhone was nearly half an inch. It is getting a camera on the front that could be used for videoconferencing, in addition to a five-megapixel camera and a flash on the back.

By Cliff Judy (WICHITA, Kan.) There are times when a reporter's job honestly isn't that hard.  Some interviewees are just what we call "a natural" on camera. Politicians answer our questions while trying to promote themselves, sports legends try to not bad-mouth the other team, and Miss America does it with three or four other people vying for her precious attention. "It's a great day," Katie Stam said after visiting the KWCH studios.  "We get to reach out to a lot of different people, and that's why having a busy schedule is important.

Catching great action shots from your mountain bike or on the beach is a lot easier these days with cool new video cameras. Consumer Reports looks at two popular ones that go where no video camera or cell phone has gone before. They're the GoPro Hero 3, which costs $400, and Sony's $270 Action Cam. The cameras come with rugged, waterproof casings to protect them from the elements. And they're loaded with features. You can take standard-def or high-def video. You can also take still photos.

Police have been able to follow the Boston bombing suspects moves, partly thanks to surveillance cameras through out the city. Eyewitness News Reporter Lauren Seabrook wanted to know how Wichita would track a suspect in a similar situation. She went looking for camera across the city. They are not always easy to spot, but they are there. Dozens of security cameras are perched on the sides of buildings to keep track of downtown activity. "I don't necessarily like the thought of Big Brother watching me all the time.

If you're stepping out in Old Town, there will be some extra eyes are watching you. Wichita police put up new surveillance cameras in the entertainment district to improve security and help bar-goers feel safe. But some business owners have already taken that step "I know that a lot of the places down here have cameras, a lot of the bars," says Brent Stevens, owner of Indigo Night Club and Mike's Wine Dive. Wichita police put up four new surveillance cameras in the district to help with extra security after gun violence last summer.   Area bars say it's about time.

"It surprised me," Phyllis Harmon says.  "Why would somebody do that?" Phyllis Harmon wonders why somebody would plant a hidden camera inside the women's restroom at a Braum's restaurant. "All I can think of is, they got to be a little sick-minded, and somewhat crazy, and maybe a pervert," Harmon says. A Braum's employee called police Thursday night after finding a pinhole camera in the women's bathroom.  Around nine o'clock the employee found the camera taped inside a bathroom stall.

Derby school officials are taking a more advanced approach to monitoring student activity on it's school buses.  Earlier this summer, new, digital, high definition video cameras were installed into each of the district's buses.  Prior to the new cameras, the Derby school district had less than a dozen cameras it used for all it nearly 60 buses.  The cameras were moved from bus to bus to monitor disciplinary problems. School officials say the new cameras give them a peace of mind, knowing each student is monitored for the time they step onto the bus, to the time they step off.  The cameras, which also record sound, come with a removable sd card.  Officials can take that card, and review footage of any suspected incident.  Tom Snodgrass, Director of Operations for Derby Public Schools says, "this limits the he said, she said.

Searching for people in the dead of night is going to start getting easier for Harvey County Sheriff deputies. They will have help from state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras. "The deputies will easily be able to pan a field or as they're driving down the road, be able to spot things that are hotter than other things surrounding it," explains Undersheriff Todd Hanchett. The cameras capture heat, instead of light like cameras used for snapshots. Since the majority of the cases the sheriff's office handles are in rural areas, they say these devices will be a valuable tool for fighting crime.

Wichita police are hoping you can identify the man caught on surveillance video.  They say he's connected to several thefts from YMCA men's locker rooms. Police say the man usually signs in on a day pass and spends less than 30 minutes at the YMCA.  They say he goes after wallets left in the men's locker rooms. If you have any information about the man pictured, call police at 316-268-4168 or email FHoskins@wichita.gov.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office is close to finishing the investigation of an inmate's claim that he was raped by a jail deputy. Investigators have completed interviews and are waiting on the results of a sexual assault exam, Sheriff Bob Hinshaw said Friday. An inmate represented by attorney Mark Schoenhofer claims he was handcuffed, threatened with tasing and raped in his cell.  The alleged attack happened June 3, 2012 around 3:00 a.m. "What is going on is absolute abuse of law enforcement authority," Schoenhofer told Eyewitness News earlier this week.

Big crowds are magnets for crime and Wichita police say surveillance cameras atop buildings like the Garvey Center help them keep an eye out for trouble during the Wichita River Festival. The cameras are not set up every day--just on nights when crowds are big.  These cameras are portable and owned and operated by volunteers from the Races amateur radio club.  All the video is broadcast to a central location, watched live and also recorded.  If volunteers see anything fishy they contact cops who are nearby, ready to keep the peace.

If you're having a hard time seeing out of your car, you're not alone. Cars designed with high trunks and hoods and low, sloping rooflines give a sleek appearance on the outside but can cause visibility problems from the inside. Consumer Reports tests cars for blind spots and says the new designs are making things much worse. It's a problem not only in traffic but also in driveways and parking lots. Wide rear pillars and smaller back windows make it especially hard to see out the back, even when you turn your head around.