AUTOMATIC MONITORING APPARATUS

An automatic monitoring apparatus for automatically detecting an object to be detected, such as a suspicious person, based on the picture obtained from an image pickup device. Moving object detecting unit detects information about a moving object in the picture, based on the picture signal input from the image pickup device. Characteristic quantity calculating unit calculates a characteristic quantity of the moving object based on the information detected by the moving object detecting unit. Characteristic quantity storing unit stores at least a characteristic quantity relating to a non-detection object that should not be detected. Determining unit compares the characteristic quantity of the moving object, calculated by the characteristic quantity calculating unit, with the characteristic quantity stored in the characteristic quantity storing unit, to determine whether or not the moving object is an object to be detected. Storage commanding unit causes the characteristic quantity of the moving object, calculated by the characteristic quantity calculating unit, to be selectively stored in the characteristic quantity storing unit.