Car cameras.

[SomeKid]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=301770 That thread got me thinking.

Does anyone know of a good system, one that could be manually turned on and off for just such an incident? The primary purpose would be to keep the cop honest if I ever get pulled over. Audio and video is what I want. Anybody got any solutions?

[Manedwolf]

Telegraph Staff
Date: June 29, 2006
Publication: Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH)

NASHUA - A city man is charged with violating state wiretap laws by recording a detective on his home security camera, while the detective was investigating the man's sons. Michael Gannon, 49, of 26 Morgan St., was arrested Tuesday night, after he brought a video to the police station to try to file a complaint against Detective Andrew Karlis, according to Gannon's wife, Janet Gannon, and police reports filed in Nashua District Court.

Police instead arrested Gannon...

I suggest checking your laws

[Brad Johnson]

Depending on state laws, it's not wiretapping if at least one party in the coversation knows it's being recorded.  I would presume the same thing for videotaping your home ... if it's your home and you know it's being taped it's fine whether Detective Bozo knows it or not.

Brad

[SomeKid]

Pretty sure TN OK's it. If not, I will chance it in court. The only time I plan for it to be known is if a cop steps way out of his bounds, or if I have the bad luck of somehow being involved with vermin, while in my truck. 

So then, any concealable and good ways I could do this?

[roo_ster]

I saw the video and was disgusted.

The LEO talked about his own body mike, yet still acted in the way he did.  I wonder if he has the wherewithal to erase or manipulate it, were it to be subpoenaed in a legal action?

[jeepmor]

 

And we wonder why cops get a bad rap, some deserve it.  I like how he can "come up with more stuff than you can" line. 

Badge or not, jerks are everywhere.  I agree, commuter lots do get a lot of break ins and theft, but the officer could have been a little less...umm...ahole.  At 2am, I suspect this kid was baiting the cop just to see what would happen.  Oh the pitfalls of youth.  At that age, I avoided cops like the plague because we had plenty of these types of stories running around.

He does have the right to remain silent, I don't see how public property negates that, or cops orders during an investigation.

[Loucks]

Street racers commonly have video set-ups like the one the kid was using, but I'm not brave enough to venture into that type of forum. 

[Manedwolf]

If you really want one, just go for simple.

Get one of those micro-sized memory-recording camcorders at Best Buy or other stores, the ones that are under $100. Often $60, even.



Put in the biggest memory card it'll take. Make sure you get one that can take something common like SDcard.

Clip it to your visor and hit "rec" or just have it nearby running during the stop. Alternately, put it in a suction-cup holder for a radar detector above the mirror, they're about the same size. And if it has a bright red light on the front when recording, put tape over that, or it'd likely be taken away.

[WeedWhacker]

If you'd happened to read the transcript, you'd have noticed that the officer in question's first thought of a course of action was to have the car impounded, and the citizen's (Darrow) video evidence destroyed. Darrow mentioned that the video data wasn't in the car, but was sent to "secure sources", possibly via cell-phone Internet connection.

Since I don't think I can manage a cell-phone 'net upload just yet, I plan to have TWO recording devices. That way, it'll at least look really bad for the authorities should all three (two of mine, one of theirs) recordings end up damaged or missing.

... though I hope never to be caught in such a situation.