My in-laws live in NJ and recently received this in the mail. It's requesting residents and local business to register their exterior cameras with the local PD.

Good idea or no?

I don't see where asking is wrong, other than someone thinking it's a requirement in some manner, folks skim read all the time.

Its not like the pope is saying you have to do it...

Why not? How could it possibly be misused?



I'm not a tinfoil hat person, but to me this seems like turning up the heat in water on the stove just a little bit...and a little bit more...and a little bit more...

I might be inclined to do that. All it'd do is make it easier on the cops. It's not as if most security cams can't be seen from the street, anyway. (RogueJSK explains in more detail my exact thinking, four posts down.)

As long as it's optional I have no problem with it. It might cut some time solving crime if the police can just look at their computer to see were the active cameras are located near a crime scene.

No issue here.

They are very clear that it is strictly voluntary and that they have no access to your system. I don't see any downside to letting them know of the existence of your cameras. They will still need your permission or a court order to secure your footage.

That said, there is not much lost if you choose not to participate. If a crime occurs in your area, you are still always free to share your footage with the police to see if it will aid them in their investigation.

All in all, this seems harmless to me either way.

Nope.

Not doing it.

Registration leads inevitably to confiscation or at the very least, an expectation of cooperation.

It protects me from being called as a witness on the location and operation of the camera.

Even without a registry, if a crime occurs near their address, the investigating officers will examine the neighborhood to determine which homes or businesses may have exterior cameras, and try to make contact with the owners of those properties to request access to the footage.

So they'd still eventually know that your in-laws' house has exterior cameras. Registering ahead of time and providing contact info just saves the officers the time of having to physically check their house for the presence of exterior cameras and then hunt around for their contact info.

Same end result, just a more efficient way to get there. And that time they saved could then be put towards other parts of the investigation, hopefully resulting in a speedier conclusion.

No tin-foil hat needed. If you have exterior cameras, everyone already knows you have cameras, or at least can find out very easily just by simply looking at your house.

Paranoia aside, they can verify it's an authentic request before deciding. Ask questions. The use of private surveillance cameras can help solve neighborhood crimes.

I'd do it.

If there's a crime in your neighborhood, good police work would mean that they would go around and look for surveillance cameras that might have captured the event anyway. They would ask you to review footage, or if necessary, get a subpoena or court order. Not registering your camera doesn't really benefit you--in the end, if they need your footage, they'll get it.

On the other hand, letting the police know that you have exterior cameras speeds up the investigation process. The faster they can review the footage, the faster they can catch the bad guys. That's generally good for you.

Edit: Rogue beat me to the same line of thinking.

I see ABSOLUTELY nothing at all wrong with that letter, and I actually approve of it and think its a good idea.

Its completely voluntary, and the camera database WILL solve property crimes in your neighborhood and make it a safer neighborhood.

Win - win in my mind.

I'm good with it. They are trying to basically leverage all these security cameras everyone is putting up to help with neighborhood crime.

IIRC it was private security cameras that helped catch the Boston Marathon bombers.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Nope.

Not doing it.

Registration leads inevitably to confiscation or at the very least, an expectation of cooperation.

It protects me from being called as a witness on the location and operation of the camera.

You seriously need to loosen up that tinfoil hat.

next they will want to use camera's on intersections and , AND! speeding enforcement , Then what ?

My local PD asks for people, but does not require, to register their address with the PD if they have exterior cameras on their home. Then if there is a crime committed, they know if they may have a chance it was caught on video. The list is not made public. I have mine registered and I have had a few times the PD comes and asks if I will watch the video for an incident and I have it.

As long as I am not REQUIRED to turn over the recordings (it says law enforcement may ask for it if a crime occurs, nothing about handing over the imagery on a voluntary basis).

For example, the overzealous state has decided AR-15s are illegal. The local po-po feels your neighbor may have one and is now demanding you hand over all recording so they can determine if your neighbor is exerting his/her 2A rights.

I would say no because it's NJ.

quote:

Good idea or no?

NO

Anything you do can and will be used against you.

No good deed goes unpunished

Nope.

No problem with them asking really as put forth, don't like it, don't participate.

Think about it this way...
What if YOUR house was burned down or robbed or vandalized, or someone hurt or worse. That puts a different perspective on it doesn't it?

The thing is it won't really do very much to help. Even if 50% compliance is obtained the investigators will still have to canvas the area looking for cameras to review, if the issue warrants it.