Crime Time

Surveillance video may show murder suspect

Police have released surveillance images of a man they think was trying to use a credit card stolen from a 72-year-old man who was fatally bludgeoned April 30 in the 500 block of West Cannon Street.

The video was taken in the downtown Intermodal Transportation Center, 1001 Jones St., four days after Grady Fairbairn was found in his vehicle with a head injury.

Read more in this brief by Mitch Mitchell.

-- Bill Miller

Surveillance video of Dallas burglary shared on YouTube

Dallas Police have turned to the video sharing Web site YouTube to help catch some crooks.

They've gotten access to surveillance video of a burglary Dec. 29, 2008 at R-Cubed Service and Sales (right).

This factory authorized service company for various top-name computer companies is located at 11126 Shady Trail in Dallas.

"The suspects made entry into the business and removed various Dell computers," said Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther, a police spokeswoman. "The suspects can be seen in the video removing this property."

Click here to see the video for yourself.

Anyone with information about the crime can call Detective Amos Gantt at 214-670-6179, Crowther said.

-- Bill Miller

No pay, no spy, phone companies tell FBI

I guess "the check is in the mail" really doesn't work, even if you're the FBI.

The Associated Press is reporting that telephone companies have been cutting off FBI wiretaps used to listen in on suspected criminal activity because the agency has repeatedly failed to pay its phone bills on time. Yikes!

According to a Justice Department Audit, lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations is to blame for the plugs being pulled. The problem even allowed an agent to steal $25,000, according to the audit.

According to the audit by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine: "We also found that late payments have resulted in telecommunications carriers actually disconnecting phone lines established to deliver surveillance results to the FBI, resulting in lost evidence."

The audit mentioned thousands of dollars of unpaid phone bills for surveillance efforts at multiple FBI offices around the country.

You can read more here.

-- Lance Murray