# Video Recording



## Nightstalker (Jul 25, 2006)

Hey can someone point me in the direction of the laws regarding video recording???

Before the douchbaggery starts spewing.... No I'm not interested in filming LEOs at traffic stops... FOX has a show that already has that covered!!! This would be for my personal property.

A property owner on my street rented to 2 people and now the property is loaded with people. Seriously... 10-12 cars park all over the property so I cant even imagine how many people are staying there.... This could be a thread in itself!

My concern is, We have had our cars broken into multiple times in the past few months so I would like set up some video to try to catch these guys... But I dont want to screw myself in the process... Calling the police gets me a report that I can stack on my desk but not a resolution as it continues to happen. However, I guess that I truly didnt expect someone to sit on my street and babysit my property anyhow. So help me out boys...

From what I understand, Video is OK in the Communist State of Massachusetts as long as audio is not recorded as it violates the electronic wiringtapping law. What else do I need to know? Do I need to post signs? Are there any legal ramifications I should be worried about???

Should I just take up post with my AR??? BPD could fill in some of those budget gaps if they wanted to sell that grenade launcher!!!


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## Johnny Law (Aug 8, 2008)

You are right, video is ok any time in a public place, audio you have to let the other person know either by posting it or telling them, or its obvious (like holding up your phone while standing on the sidewalk. If you want to discreetly record video (like you're in your house and are keeping an eye on things in the street) you can do that without notification. Just make sure the subject is in a place with no expectation of privacy (the street, an unfenced yard). I love investigations that have video, it makes irrefutable evidence in a criminal case.


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## Nightstalker (Jul 25, 2006)

mtc said:


> If you're going to go that far -why not trackable stuff so you can watch on a map where it IS!!
> 
> LOVE the new toys people got out there!


Funny you should say that... My phone got stolen about 6 months ago while I was out with the boys... I was able to track it to a location... and get pics of the thief... The following week, They came into the bar, i showed them a pic of them that was taken from my phone and a google map of their house. Sure enough, I got my phone back!

If anyone is wondering, The app I use on my andoid is called Cerberus.


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## Mailman (Apr 1, 2011)

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7687469_security-cameras-legal-massachusetts.html

A lot of buildings in East Boston have cameras. Some of them have signs, tiny signs or no signs at all. They have caught the faces of people breaking in to houses, but some people have poor quality cameras. The really really cheap ones, and don't work well at night.

I recommend also to have your cameras on the internet so you can watch it at anytime from any portable device like an iphone or android phone. I use a program called iCam on my iphone and use SKYPE's auto connect to watch video also. BJ's and Costco actually sell pretty decent 4 and 8 channel camera systems w/o memory.
This guy records sound and video while biking down the street with something similar to a goPro Camera. http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/09/15/helmet-camera-captures-carbike-confrontation-in-boston/ . The only times when recording gets fishy is when you stick a camera in a LEO's face. You don't really need sound to record these people that break into your car. You need their face not their voice, unless you think they are going to threaten you.
I got a guy on my route in Boston that put up 7 or 8 high quality cameras on his property. He kept getting into fights with the neighbor about stupid stuff, so he wanted proof that he wasn't the instagator (which I know is no true). His setup has about 30fps and Infared that can get a good 30feet+ at night. He caught someone breaking into a car across the street one day with a full face shot. Installed by a BPD officer who has a compnay. It cost him over 4grand. He is paranoid, but o well other people in the neighborhood have benefited. I would think that installing a fake camera with a fake sign can be a good deterant. Try Microcenter in Cambridge they have a whole camera section.


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