DVR Cameras In Your Personal Vehicle

reply to post by Britguy


Sorry but the world is a dangerous place. If someone is pulled over for speeding and illegal window tint is detected that automatically calls backup. If anything is present on either the front or rear dashboard-anything-that could be any type of weapon (dash Cams great example) then the officer slides a bar on his radio that elevates the traffic stop to hazardous which calls backup.

You may not like it but these men and women have very dangerous jobs.

It is not illegal to have cameras in your automobile however they can't be identified as a camera from behind and from a distance. So just live with it-you have a camera on your dash-that elevates the traffic stop-if you do as you are told-it's not a problem.

I think they are a great idea. I got a camera on my mountain bike. Originally it was for filming offroad stuff, but now I use it just as much on the road or cycle lanes to cover myself. Too many pedestrians walking and texting and ending up walking on the cycle path, cars pulling out ahead without looking etc.
The way I see it, if you're in an accident with no witnesses then there's a lot of time saved, and maybe even legal fees saved defending yourself, because the incident is there on film.
"It was his fault officer!"
"No. Look at this film clip. It was definately yours."
"Ah! Oh! er... Here's some money for him."
If every vehicle gets one I think it will lead to better road safety because everyone is being filmed by everyone else.

reply to post by spooky24


A dashcam is a weapon? I really think you are clutching at straws here!

We are not talking about cinematic 4K camera installations here. The vast majority of dashcams available for private vehicle use are not even going to be seen unless you are standing right in front of the vehicle peering in, and would certainly not be visible whilst the vehicle is in motion. If a police officer feels threatened by the installation of a dashcam in a private vehicle, then he or she has no place being in that job in the first place.
As for tinted windows, why did you even inject that into the equation? We are not talking about criminal intent here, so I don't get where you are going with the counter arguments and broadening the discussion with potential criminal intent on the part of the driver of a dashcam equipped car.

I have a 5 camera system on my motor home.

Back up camera. two side cameras and two security cameras.
I have a monitor that shows both sides an back for driving better then mirrors..

Since i put the system in i have added the front camera to record idiots.
And the two inside cameras and a 8 channel DVR so that the system is a security system when i am parked.

www.tadibrothers.com...

i am going to add one more camera on the roof as a skywatch camera to record meteorites/fireballs coming in.

The DVR records on movement only and has a 2TB hard drive for months of recording.

I am also thinking of mounting a remote controlled spotlight with a camera on it on the roof of my motor home.
www.larsonelectronics.com...

ENGLISH BOB
The way I see it, if you're in an accident with no witnesses then there's a lot of time saved, and maybe even legal fees saved defending yourself, because the incident is there on film.
"It was his fault officer!"
"No. Look at this film clip. It was definately yours."

I can't tell you the number of vids I've seen on Liveleak and youtube where someone was falsely accusing a dashcammed driver of causing a wreck -- then the dashcam driver simply points to the camera and the false-claim-event ends there.

Dashcams gave us the only decent video of the massive Russian meteor and the seriously weird object that appears to have intersected it.

As far as police are concerned .... jeez ..... where do you even begin to talk about what these people have devolved to? If they want to call out the entire 3rd cav when they stop me, that's fine. But they are not going to be able to file a false police report no matter what happens.

BTW, heat is the number one enemy of a dash cam. Roll up your windows and you have an instant solar oven. Check the heat ratings on the camera you like.

reply to post by Britguy


No...I understood your post, and you knew what I was saying so you got my point,

reply to post by spooky24


I've been pulled over a few times while carrying a pistol or other firearm and have never had a cop call for backup.

Shoot I got pulled over for having the wrong plates on my truck once and had a shotgun sitting on the backseat. Cop didn't call for backup though he was a little twitchy when he first stopped me. Stupid dealership gave me the wrong plates and stupid me didn't double check when I swapped them. Luckily I still had the correct plates in the truck and registration and all that.

I can't imagine a cop getting his jimmies rustled over a dash cam. Especially not one that isn't obviously set up to film them.

I've seen them in shops. Good for legal purposes, or even if you just see something funny and want to keep it/YouTube it.

I've also noticed that Russians on YouTube are obsessed with these damn things. I'm not sure why, but they really love recording themselves driving.

spooky24
If you are installing cameras because you frightened of 'interdiction from law enforcement' then you have some issues more important than installing cameras. Paranoid, delusional fear, of inordinate or respect figures can fall under the reign of persecutory delusions are a frequent symptom of psychosis.

Persecutory delusions for instance, the more a belief is implausible, unfounded, strongly held, not shared by others, distressing and preoccupying, the more likely it is to be considered a delusion.


In other words you just made the entire situation 10 times worse than it should be.

etc, etc...


So, tell me why cops have them...?

If you have a third headrest in the rear, maybe there's a safe spot for it there...?

Xaphan
I've seen them in shops. Good for legal purposes, or even if you just see something funny and want to keep it/YouTube it.

I've also noticed that Russians on YouTube are obsessed with these damn things. I'm not sure why, but they really love recording themselves driving.

In russia it's an insurance thing. They get $ off from payments and it reduces false claims which were an epidemic.

reply to post by spooky24

Anxiety over getting a ticket by a patrol officer for breaking the law is normal-and police are trained to know the difference between simple regret(at getting caught) and one suffering from a delusional psychosis. The filming of any crime scene event is only useful to the media as without a chain of evidence these videos are worthless in court.

Patrol officers today no longer need to call for 'back up' to assist them in troublesome traffic stops. Since license plate scans now load data to the officers terminals in less that a second these scans also pick up such things as window tint violations and the presents of cameras. So this automatically upgrades the stop to 'hazardous' even before the officers makes verbal contact.

I missed your first post.

I'm not particularly anxious about interacting with the police or being profiled, harassed etc. I don't know if I entirely agree that the videos are useless. Insurance companies and the police advise keeping a camera in the car in case of an accident to document damage. Either way, I would love to have a camera going all the time because I frequently see amusing/interesting things when I'm driving. Nice to have a little insurance too. There are a ton of cases where video footage without any sort of chain of custody determines the outcome of a case.

Unless things have changed drastically in every police department cops definitely still need to call for backup. Some may have plate scanners, but those things are not capable of identifying illegal window tint or the presence of cameras (as far as I know). Also they can't just automatically upgrade things and have the entire department come swarming down without cause. The person driving is often not even the registered owner, who is the only person you can view when you run tags.

Having backup come for a camera or illegal tint is ridiculous. It's a waste of resources. I actually made sure when I got my windows done it was legal (sort of regretting it). The other things I've done to my car are far more illegal and carry a higher fine. Do these new cameras also pick up exhaust noise level? Illegal engine and suspension mods? The ticket for having illegal window tint is so small, and so many people have it. I rarely hear about anyone getting ticketed (I'm on a few car forums and most people I know have it). Almost every SUV I see has illegal tint.

Not Safe For Work Due To Language:

Doesn't call backup. Far worse situation than a camera.

Granted, some situation and some locations are more dangerous than others. My point is that each officer has a mental checklist of 8 things to evaluate as they approach the vehicle. This is pounded into their heads over, over and over again. It is the difference between life and death. One of those is called 'loose objects' and if any loose objects are within the arm length of the driver or passenger then it elevates the stop to hazardous. A dash cam is the one most cited.

The thought that if you have a camera going during a traffic stop, or any stop, that you have some advantage in the situation because the cop is 'on video' is just total stupidity.
It's really quite simple as the ease in which some people can manipulate digital video makes them worthless. No video taken from a car camera will ever get anywhere near a courtroom even if it shows Cardinal Richelieu taking a wizz in the middle of the street.

Other than posting funny/strange stuff on line the videos are a waste of time-and if not handled properly could cause anxiety with a patrol officer during a traffic stop-which is not good.

Of course all this can be prevented if you just adhere to the first rule of rural living. That is put the local law on the payroll-problem solved.

Xaphan
I've seen them in shops. Good for legal purposes, or even if you just see something funny and want to keep it/YouTube it.

I've also noticed that Russians on YouTube are obsessed with these damn things. I'm not sure why, but they really love recording themselves driving.

PsykoOps
In russia it's an insurance thing. They get $ off from payments and it reduces false claims which were an epidemic.

It's a problem here too but not anywhere near the levels in Asia.

In my pre-cam days in Denver, I was driving a new vehicle with out-of-state plates. Had a looser take a dive at me. When I managed to scramble all over the road to miss him, he took off.

spooky24
The thought that if you have a camera going during a traffic stop, or any stop, that you have some advantage in the situation because the cop is 'on video' is just total stupidity.
It's really quite simple as the ease in which some people can manipulate digital video makes them worthless. No video taken from a car camera will ever get anywhere near a courtroom even if it shows Cardinal Richelieu taking a wizz in the middle of the street.

Is that so?

Ex-Lansdale Man Fought Law, Won Via Dash Cam

Mark Fiorino successfully sued Philadelphia Police - and won - for violating his First and Second Amendment rights. He was found not guilty recently by using footage from a dashboard camera in his defense in fighting a Towamencin traffic ticket

Posted by Tony Di Domizio (Editor) , July 20, 2012 at 06:36 AM

A former Lansdale resident, , has now used a dashboard camera to successfully fight a Towamencin traffic ticket. Mark Fiorino, 26, was not only found not guilty of running a red light by Schwenksville District Court Judge Albert Augustine this month, but he also has told the tale of his success and ordeal on YouTube. ....

lansdale.patch.com...


That "massive" search took all of 30 seconds on startpage.

reply to post by spooky24


How I know you're making bs. up. GPS is the exact same size and position.

Its almost imposable to doctor a recording taken and stored on a DVR without leaving signs of tampering.

Anyone doing it is real expert.

I think these are an outstanding idea...if they are used as a routine matter and not forgotten about after the 'Nifty' factor wears off for it.

One thing I'd recommend though is know your laws. Some states see no distinction between public filming and 'wiretap' laws for recording someone else (in person or otherwise) without their knowledge. That mainly comes in where the camera may record audio or even video of a discussion at your side window, for instance. The devil is always in the details.

I'm all for using these aside from that and I feel they ought to be standard equipment on vehicles. Not just the rear facing one (which is priceless and I discovered after renting an 'Armada' last year and thinking my 18 wheeler was small by comparison) but the 'anything can happen' nature of the world around us. Someone steps out in front of you with no notice? Your word against his for accident. vs. vehicular homicide ...unless you had a dash cam quietly doing what it does in the background to refer to later.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

One thing I'd recommend though is know your laws. Some states see no distinction between public filming and 'wiretap' laws for recording someone else (in person or otherwise) without their knowledge. That mainly comes in where the camera may record audio or even video of a discussion at your side window, for instance. The devil is always in the details.

I believe that is where you record audio as well. Courts will uphold an "expectation of privacy" when it comes to audio/video recording. Some cities have enacted laws against recording police.

I don't think any of this prohibits video recording from a dash cam. I've had both cops and insurance agents tell me using a dash cam is highly recommended, and the DVR's are dirt cheap.

ANNED
Its almost imposable to doctor a recording taken and stored on a DVR without leaving signs of tampering.

Anyone doing it is real expert.

The better dash cams have a "watermark" feature designed to prove the integrity of the recording. This feature was designed to hold up to investigative scrutiny in court.

It would be my guess that most pro-grade police DVR's have this feature. As it is, on a number of documented reports, the police claim to have "lost" the recording ..... or the camera "malfunctioned" and did not record at all.