Minimum standards for CCTV video

[Scruit]

When you investigate crimes that are committed in a location that has a CCTV system, what are the most important things that you need from the CCTV system? And what are the minimum standards required before you can use the video in court.


Here's an example of the video quality I get (photobucket reduces the resolution a little)



The video records on a hard drive at about 4 frames per second and can be recorded to VHS or captured on a computer in the house and saved as MPG or burned as a DVD. Stills can be captured by the computer and sent to a photoprinter. The video and stills all have the time/date displayed on them. It also records audio.


Am I missing anything vital? I envisage giving a VHS tape of the CCTV recording of a crime to the police/detective and then using that video as evidence in a trial. I know digital copies can be problematic, but I should have no problem with playing back the original digital video and recording it to VHS, correct?

[Valor55]

Get the highest quality you can get onto digital media.

[Scruit]

Get the highest quality you can get onto digital media.

Should I be planning on providing the evidence video on a DVD instead of VHS? Or would a CD containing an MPG do just as well?

I'm testing a new infrared camera for reading license plates that will be able to read the expiration date on the tags from 120', day or night... :D Right now I'm using visible light and at night hi-beams drown the camera. :mad:

[Scruit]

Wouldn't it just rock if every burglary you investigated could hand you images like this? :D

[Valor55]

We get videos on DVD. As long as it can play in the DVD player at the prosecutors office we are good.

[Scruit]

We get videos on DVD. As long as it can play in the DVD player at the prosecutors office we are good.

Thanks for that! I would have assumed VHS. I'll make sure I have everything hooked up to produce a DVD.

[Hockey9019]

Yup same where I work. Our CCTV isn't that great and we are a pretty big hospital. Different cameras=different quality. At night don't even try to make a positive identification. We are now 100% DVD Digital Recording and it is GREAT and takes less time and room. I only wish our cameras were as good as what you have. Seriously.

[Valor55]

Thanks for that! I would have assumed VHS. I'll make sure I have everything hooked up to produce a DVD.

Ask whatever agency would work a crime at the location you are putting the system in.

[highwayman]

In LP work (different companies have variations of the evidence they need to prosecute) for a theft/shoplifting case to hold water in court, some require all 6 steps for a successful arrest and some don't.
In any case the basic steps are :

1. The subject entering the store.
2. The subject sellecting the merchandise.
3. The subject concealing the merchandise.
4. After concealment, non stop surveillance of the subject.
5. Subject going past the POS (point of sale/registers)
6. Subject clearing the property line/arrest.

Any of the above steps can be substituted by a live witness present in court, who was part of the surveillance team.

Analog VHS looped recording machines are slowly being replaced by digital surveillance systems by major companies (Home Depot, Target)
Check out the Loronix security and surveillance systems.
Footage is recorded directly into a hardrive, the file is edited by the computer removing "dead time" to conserve space, you can forward or rewind, burn disks, capture, focus in/out with amazing detail, just like you would do with any video editing software on the market today.

[Valor55]

Here, all we need is the concealment. We have separate charges for concealment and shoplifting. Both are considered larcenies.

[highwayman]

Wouldn't it just rock if every burglary you investigated could hand you images like this? :D

Some of those digital systems software can zoop in specific parts of the footage, or the still frame in question, with such precision that can read the time of a wrist watch, or the mumber from a DL.

[Scruit]

Some of those digital systems software can zoop in specific parts of the footage or still frame in question, with such precision that can read the time of your wrist watch, or the mumber form your DL.

See, you are talking about megapixel IP cameras. Yep, they rock, but you can't capture 25fps at 4mp unless you have a terabyte HD dedicated to that camera alone. I've seen MP camera take a slow framerate and just dedicated to capturing license plates etc, and then have seperate cameras to provide overviews or detail shots.


The new camera I have on the way will use the same lens and the blue minivan pic, only it has 480 scan lines instead of 330, and is entirely 950nm near-infrared. Headlights will be irrelevant because it cannot 'see' visible light. I have a huge projector-style 950nm IR illuminator attached to the camera that will light up whatever the plate camera is looking at. The reflective surface of the license plate will help also. I'm hoping it can also see through smoked license plate covers in the same way that 950-1000nm IR can pass through cheap sunglasses easily.


I've seen some pretty neat stuff with the new IP cameras and NVRs, but you still have to place the cameras where they will do the most good. Yeah, you can zoom in on a megapixel camera because it recorded that level of detail. But you cannot zoom in on the minivan picture above and read the expiration on his tags because that level of detail just isn't there.

[highwayman]

Here, all we need is the concealment. We have separate charges for concealment and shoplifting. Both are considered larcenies.

I've heard about certain states that allow in store arrests as long as most of the elements of the crime of theft are complete, but didn't know about the concealment being treated as a separate charge.

We could use some of this "creative paperwork" here in California.

[Roger Dat]

I worked LP for seven years and while concealment is against the law where I live the police would not let us file charges for that it was either let tem take it out of the store or no go.

[Penguin]

I worked LP for seven years and while concealment is against the law where I live the police would not let us file charges for that it was either let tem take it out of the store or no go.

Yea, the store I was at in Ft. Lauderdale you had to have all the steps completed- DEFINATELY everything on video or no stop at all. Very frustrating. :mad:

I only wish our cameras were as good as what you have. Seriously.

Where I'm at now, the building manager won't let us place cameras outside, so the one watching the generators is inside a window on the 3rd floor...at night all you see is the reflection of the inside of the building on the window!