Security Cameras

Are Walmart security cameras good enough to read license plates?

Someone vandalized my car and drove off in the Walmart parking lot. Are the security cameras outside powerful enough to read license plates? Would someone at Walmart have a record for me to use in court?

Thanks.
But will the footage even be worthy enough to ask for? Or would it be too grainy?

I'm sorry to hear that your car was vandalized. I've been a victim of two auto thefts myself and unfortunately there were no cameras around to capture the crimes.

In regards to your question, Walmart could have any variety of security cameras installed on their property, so it would be difficult to say whether or not they have the zoom and resolution to capture a car's license plate. I work for a security camera company and we do carry one custom license plate camera, but even our camera has its limitations. If it was night time, you'll have to hope that the parking lot light was bright or that Walmart has infrared cameras installed. There are so many factors that could affect the ability to capture a license plate from the camera specifications to the weather conditions.

I suggest contacting the manager of your local Walmart and asking for the security team to review the footage during the time and date of the vandalism. Give them enough information to easily find the event. Hopefully your local Walmart uses digital video recorders rather than tapes. Often tapes are recorded over or discarded. If they give you any trouble about the footage, file a police report and request that the officers review the video for you. This should save you some legal fees, but you still may need to get a lawyer involved.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you and I hope you're able to find the criminals responsible for this unfortunate event.