Ive been assigned a project, could use some help

[Drew Taylor]

I work for a police department as in the tech section. Former officer, disabled due to MS. We are trying to educate our public via our facebook page about the basics of home/buisness security cameras,what to look for,what to expect. I am trying to figure out some bullet points, maybe a few example pictures of quality video/pics versus low quality cameras video quality. Can you guys and gals help me with some talking points? I know you guys will, so thank you in advance!

 

[Mike A.]

I hate to be the guy to pee on the parade but to do it right really is kind of beyond what the vast majority of the public is even close to up to doing.

And if you don't do it right, then you're kind of setting them up for disappointment, a false sense of security, and potentially opening up more security issues just by having the cam itself than you're likely to solve with it.

Maybe there's your article... Don't bother unless you're going to do it right. Which you probably can't do. So just blow your money on the Nest which will be kinda cool and give you half-assed video that you can watch on your phone without making swiss cheese out of your home network. But don't expect that it's going to do much if you ever really need it. ; ) lol

 

[Drew Taylor]

Yes, you are totally right, I couldn't agree more, and kind of eluded to that when speaking to the Chief of Police. He still wanted me to try to just inform as far as if you have crappy video "blank" is what your going to get. I guess I may have to just find some low quality picture examples on the net,and some better ones, which will be easy to find around here,and go that route. Thanks

 

[looney2ns]

Drew, I agree, I would stress that doing it right is the more important. 2.8mm wide angle lens, suck. Mounting cams too high is bad. 6-7ft is good, 8ft at the max for ID. They want to know who did it, not just what happened.
Dome cams are bad outdoors for a variety of reasons.
Wifi is problematic with practically any security cam, use wire.
Youtube is full of security videos, good and very bad.

Thank you for your service.

 

[tangent]

Drew, I agree, I would stress that doing it right is the more important. 2.8mm wide angle lens, suck. Mounting cams too high is bad. 6-7ft is good, 8ft at the max for ID. They want to know who did it, not just what happened.
Dome cams are bad outdoors for a variety of reasons.
Wifi is problematic with practically any security cam, use wire.
Youtube is full of security videos, good and very bad.

Thank you for your service.

I agree. Simplest advice people might attempt to follow would be to mount cameras lower and avoid super wide angle lenses (but this is all they can buy at local big box stores). Be careful not to bash or recommend and specific brands/models in the context of a gov entity. Wires >> wireless. A disturbing number of people seem to think the opposite.

Too many people default to trying to put super wide angle cameras under their second story eaves which is practically useless.

 

[tangent]

Most homeowners find their way to things like this: The Best Wireless Outdoor Home Security Camera
when evaluating home security cameras. Many people here feel like stabbing themselves with a fork when they read an article like this.

 

[bigredfish]

Hi Drew,
See this post of a real life comparison of a BG from 3 different cameras
HOA Approvals for camera installation
https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/hoa-approvals-for-camera-installation.20907/#post-200317
Re-Read the post by @looney2ns and @tangent above

Zoom to choke points to get good ID. Overview cameras (wide angle) for situational awareness only after you have the choke points covered
Quality Low light cameras are essential. Most any decent 2MP camera will perform decent in daylight.

 

[Drew Taylor]

Thanks a ton for all your help guys, this is really giving me some things to read and will help with my article. Im going to try to keep it broad and just hit a couple important points.

 

[TonyR]

Most homeowners find their way to things like this: The Best Wireless Outdoor Home Security Camera
when evaluating home security cameras. Many people here feel like stabbing themselves with a fork when they read an article like this.

Good Lord, how do I stop the bleeding from this fork in my arm?

 

[looney2ns]

Good Lord, how do I stop the bleeding from this fork in my arm?

Purchase another camera.

 

[Kawboy12R]

I'd stress proper camera locations, learning the ID and distance limitations of the equipment, and picking a job for the camera based on those limitations. Most box store systems with wide angle lenses will require LOTS of extra light to stretch the ID distance at night and won't be as good as they think even in the daytime. Researching online and adding specialty cams for distance ID (more than 10-15 feet) are key components to any decent camera system but even box store systems are better than nothing. Also, wireless is crap. Or, at best, a crapshoot.

 

[Fastb]

Also consider addressing audio, specifically, the legality of it on your jurisdiction.
- Consent: one party or two party?
- recording audio on private property vs public property
- when is privacy expected?
- when can audio be recorded in a "public place", with little/no expectation of privacy?
- signage that "audio recording may be in use" might be required to get "consent"

A different subject may cover the subject of "how & when audio/video evidence" can be shared with police.
Last topic: when cameras on your property pick up audio/video from a neighbor's property. And how to use the "masking" feature, to superimpose black boxes on the image (say to block recording of a neighbor's window or front door)

Good suggestions by my esteemed forum co-members! Especially regarding the effectiveness of camera FOV (lens mm). Ring door bell cameras are lousy for getting a truly useful facial shot, that can be used for Id. Only in the best situation can the Nest get good footage. The Next marketing material is slick and can be convincing to a lot of purchasers. However, after an incident (porch pirate), many customers then learn the hard way. Nest Cam can say "what happened", but not "who did it"

Good luck!
Fastb

 

[Drew Taylor]

Thanks so much guys, I think I am going to be able to write a decent but very brief overview of the pros and cons of security cameras. I knew you guys would be able to help!

 

[tangent]

...good advice...
A different subject may cover the subject of "how & when audio/video evidence" can be shared with police.

People seriously struggle with this one. How many times have we seen footage on the local news of someone RECORDING the screen as their DVR/NVR plays back

Thanks so much guys, I think I am going to be able to write a decent but very brief overview of the pros and cons of security cameras. I knew you guys would be able to help!

I can't help wondering if something more like an info-graphic would be more suited for facebook.

 

[mat200]

Hi Drew,

I recommend talking about what your department finds useful evidence from a security camera, perhaps listing it in order of good to best..

example:
type of car
make of car
color of car
license plate

Good luck,