Wireless surveillance cameras - use, laws and ethics. | My Wireless Surveillance Camera

In the not so distant past I found myself in the position of having to make some real decisions about home security. The townhouse just 4 up the street from mine was burglarized. That was pretty good incentive alone. But the clincher was the renter who moved in directly next door and turned my life upside down to such a degree that the purchase of a surveillance camera - preferably a wireless surveillance camera - seemed more a necessity than a preference. 

I’m going to remain intentionally vague out of respect for my former neighbor’s privacy, but we’ll call her Joan and Joan had a few screws loose. I’m not talking mildly eccentric; I’m talking jaw-dropping behavior which resulted in property damage, sleep disruptions at all hours of the night, multiple trespassing violations, frightened neighbors and more visits to our neighborhood by the police in one year than had been seen in the entire previous decade. This started within one week of her arrival and carried through up to and including the day of her eviction. 

Keep in mind, I’m underselling the gravity of her activity out of respect by omitting details. That prevents me from really making it clear that the impact to my life and the lives of my neighbors was extreme. The real complication, however, was that the landlord who’d rented to her discovered that he’d rented to what’s known as a professional tenant; one who knew how to manipulate the system, draw out any legal efforts to remove her with never-ending continuances and whose bottomless trust fund gave her considerable flexibility (in terms of paying for lawyers rather than just paying her rent) to do so. What finally enabled the landlord to get her out (after tens of thousands of dollars of property damage and at least 4 months without rent) was the undeniable evidence my wireless security camera provided. 

I decided to buy my home surveillance cameras after another trespassing event in which another neighbor called the police on Joan and Joan (who had left the property before the police arrived) blatantly lied about the matter when they knocked on her door and questioned her. It was the first time I’d witnessed both her insanity (she’d been arguing with a tree in our neighbor’s yard) and her willingness to lie with complete conviction when confronted by the law. It was certainly not the last. Similar experiences recurred on a nearly weekly basis. 

Again, remaining intentionally vague, in two subsequent hearings in court, Joan perjured herself about events I and other neighbors had witnessed no less than a dozen times. As one of the witnesses subpoenaed to testify on behalf of the landlord, I faced the unpleasant duty of having my testimony weighed against hers. What made the difference and ultimately resulted in the judge sympathizing with the landlord was the countless hours of footage I had available to support every claim he and the community were making. The damage - on camera. The trespassing - on camera. The disruptions at all hours of night - on camera (both video and audio). Plowing into neighbors cars with her own - on camera. 

Were it not for my wireless surveillance camera I would likely still be living next to Joan. I would still be woken at 2, 3 and 4 in the morning to her screaming obscenities in the street at invisible entities outside my window. I would still be living with the stench of dozens of garbage bags simply tossed in her yard. I’d still be dealing with the rats. My vehicle and the vehicles of my neighbors would still be getting plowed into by a drunk, hallucinogenic woman without the sense to stop driving. The police would still be shrugging at us and telling us it’s our word against hers. Windows would still be broken. Parents would still be afraid to allow their children outside and the neighborhood would still be held hostage. 

A wireless surveillance camera is not cheap. By the time my problems with Joan were resolved I’d actually purchased two of them to completely cover the front and back of my property. But for all the expense and the initial obstacles I ran into getting them setup, I consider my cameras worth every penny at five times the price. They have been integral in returning my life to normal. Even the police praised me for having the sense to install them and my neighbors couldn’t be happier. 

Remember that just because you are a good, honest and respectful member of your community, you can never be assured that those surrounding you will behave the same way. Joan, even in times of complete lucidity, didn’t hesitate to lie in defense of her actions. She ultimately failed in her efforts to dupe justice thanks almost entirely to wireless surveillance cameras.