Burglar looks directly into surveillance camera before ransacking Silver Spring home

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A man was caught on camera moments before he ransacked a home in Silver Spring.

Montgomery County police released the video Wednesday, hoping someone out there can help track him down.

It happened in broad daylight - around 1 p.m. in the 3000 block of Calverton Boulevard on May 11.

Police said the burglar kicked in the front door before he put on a mask and sunglasses and proceeded to go from room to room stealing things before walking out.

He was captured on a surveillance camera in the living room of the home, staring directly into the lens.

Photo via Montgomery County Police Department

With security cameras as ubiquitous as they are, it begs the question —  do they help?

Kalfani Ture is a criminal justice expert and assistant professor at Mount St. Mary's University.

He did a five-year research project on urban crime in public housing in Southeast D.C. after multiple home invasions and burglaries in the area.

"The thought was, well, what if we install cameras? So people bought all kinds of cameras, $20 cameras, $100 cameras, and they proved unreliable and proved not to deter criminals," Ture said. "If you have a motivated offender, someone who is determined - what would the camera do to stop his or her actions?"

Ture said the cameras were simply reactive.

What actually helped was proximity to police, or using a sound alarm to scare off intruders with noise.

Montgomery County police are offering up to a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the Calverton Boulevard burglary case.

Watch the full surveillance video below: