Legality of setting up a surveillance camera on my front yard?

[jrich4rpaul]

Someone keeps letting their dog shit on my front lawn every single day. And when I say shit, I mean mountains. I've been stepping in it every time I mow the lawn for 2 years, yet I've never caught the dog in the act, and although I have a neighbor across the street who just lets his dog run around the street without anyone watching him, that has chased me to my car twice, I have never seen this dog in the act on my yard so I cannot safely accuse this guy. I've tried all kinds of repellents and this dog will not leave my yard alone.

So I want to take it to the next level and catch it in the act so I know who's dog it is, so I can start returning the owner's property to him :D. The only way I can do this is to A) sit on my porch all night into the morning or B) set up a camera, but I am skeptical about the legality of doing so.

Does anyone know how/if I could go about doing this (video recording)? I live in MA.

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

Don't return the property. Try this:

1. Collect a mountain of evidence of the dog shitting in your yard.
2. Hire someone to come clean up the dog shit.
3. Send the owner of the dog a bill. Not the bill of what it cost you. A bill that represents what it cost you plus your administrative and inconvenience fees.
4. If the owner does not pay proceed to small claims court with your evidence, bill for clean up costs, evidence of lost wages for inconvenience, and clothing receipts for shoes that are covered in shit

You get the idea...

[pcosmar]

Set up a Game Camera. or two.
They are motion sensitive. and inexpensive.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_94725____SearchResults
There are several others, just look around. :)

[nate895]

Check local laws, but you can definitely do it if it doesn't record other people's property.

[DamianTV]

Some states may require you to post a plainly visible warning such as this premesis is monitored by remote video surveillance.

[Rael]

Just put up the sign, and see if it stops, If not, then actually add the camera. You probably could just hook up a webcam and stick it in your window or something

[Pepsi]

Set up a normal video camra in your window and point it to your front yard.

[DamianTV]

Or stick a glass bottle in a tin can so you can see the bottom, then stick that in a smallish cardboard box, spraypaint it black and put that in your window. Just dont spraypaint the glass. It should look like a camera.

Hell, actually, the sign by itself might be enough to get the fucker to quit letting his dog shit on your yard!

[hotbrownsauce]

Some states may require you to post a plainly visible warning such as this premesis is monitored by remote video surveillance.
What state has a law that says you have to make someone aware they are being recorded in public? Please give documentation, thanks =). I'd agree if you're in someones house or not in public some states do have laws about recording. This is why when you call companies or they call you you'll hear a message "This call may be recorded for quality purposes."

If you are in public or can be seen from a public position the supreme court has ruled you can record WITHOUT permission. However other laws may apply such as stalking etc etc like if you have a camera filming someones house but I'm fairly positive you can still do that. (Contact your local ACLU) But generally speaking the front of your lawn IS private property but is most likely visible from the street or sidewalk so you can legally record someone and do not have to tell them or make them aware.

[John of Des Moines]

First, with regard to the op. Get a pound or so of liver sausage. Embed Ex-Lax (non-chocolate) inside the sausage. Place embedded sausage in the area where the offending dog walks by. Watch which neighbors remove carpeting the following weekend. (Happened to my dad about 25 years back. A dog would shit on his front stoop and the screen door would brush it off to the next step. He got up early the next morning and saw a neighbor walk the dog (sans a leash) and would sort of hide around the corner as the dog dumped. So the next morning my dad placed out the above described food product and watched as the dog gobbled up the liver sausage, leave a pile then run back to its owner. The next morning there was no dog pile and the following weekend the neighbors were ripping out their carpeting.)



Check local laws, but you can definitely do it if it doesn't record other people's property.


Some states may require you to post a plainly visible warning such as this premesis is monitored by remote video surveillance.

I certainly can record other peoples' property. I just can't record where a reasonable person a an expectation of privacy (can't put a camera in my bathroom unless there is notice.) But if I place a camera in my window aimed at your house and you fail to place curtains over the windows you are knowingly exposing yourself to public viewing. And that's fair game. Heck, Google is driving cars around on the public street to put it up on the internet.

[kathy88]

First, with regard to the op. Get a pound or so of liver sausage. Embed Ex-Lax (non-chocolate) inside the sausage. Place embedded sausage in the area where the offending dog walks by. Watch which neighbors remove carpeting the following weekend.

roflmao

[Elwar]

I saw a house here in Florida where it appears that the tenant is getting screwed...

So, he put a sign in the yard to the effect of "Do Not rent from XYZ Rental! They...blah blah blah..."

He has it sitting out front and I look up at the window and there's a little web cam pointed at it in case the landlord came to mess with it.

I do know that in NH, they just made it legal to video tape a police officer.

[specsaregood]

A quote from another forum, quoting another forum, might be helpful. :)

From another forum...I found it quite amusing...

Running a salvage yard is the worst. We are a magnet for just about every branch of local, county, state, and federal compliance branch of government, so much so we could wallpaper our office with necessary permits.

One time they came breaking our balls over a thin strip of weeds along the front fence. We're talking about 24 inches wide by 30 feet long in front of our 13 foot solid iron fence. Something about a fire hazard blah blah blah.

I told the guy that when we kept it nice everybody in the neighborhood walked by and let their dog sh!t there- the same people complaining about our property, I'm sure. It made a terrible mess. He didn't care.

So we cleaned it up, and wouldn't you know it, our regular dogsh!tting dog walkers came by daily. When I asked them to pick it up they looked at me like I was crazy. So I poured bacon grease on every dog log out there and the following morning the first dog cleaned the entire ground for me. After that no more dogs.

I figured the same folks complaining were the ones walking the dogs, so they had a solution for me, and I had one for them. I liked mine better.

[Deborah K]

We used to own a security camera, and alarm business. You'll need a weatherproof camera with infrared lights - LEDs - and one that records all the way out to your street (probably 10 meters would do you) You're also going to need a dvr and monitor for recording, (although there are ways to hook it up to your TV and use an A/B switch if you don't want to get a monitor) - and you'll need wiring - RG59. Most cameras come with mounting brackets but you'll probably have to order the power supply.

I'm pretty sure this co. sells to the end user: http://www.cctvimports.com/ they have been around for awhile and have a good reputation. And yes, I'm pretty sure you can mount a camera on your porch, but check with your local police dept. first.

[dannno]

I'm looking to do something similar.

I have a question though.. does anybody know what those things are called in convenience stores that detects people coming through the door?

[Deborah K]

I'm looking to do something similar.

I have a question though.. does anybody know what those things are called in convenience stores that detects people coming through the door?

Sensors.

[RCA]

Have you tried talking to your neighbor? Not everything has to be a lawsuit.

[pcosmar]

I'm looking to do something similar.

I have a question though.. does anybody know what those things are called in convenience stores that detects people coming through the door?

I call mine dogs. :D

[Deborah K]

I call mine dogs. :D

Hehe, I have those as well. We're set up like Fort Knox around here. :D

[jrich4rpaul]

Have you tried talking to your neighbor? Not everything has to be a lawsuit.

As I said I have not SEEN his dog doing it, I just know he is the only one on the block who's dog runs around the neighborhood freely and has chased me a couple times. So If I ask him if his dog is the one pooping on my lawn, all he has to do is say "no" and I have no proof he's lying, which is why I need the video proof.

I have to say, the bacon grease idea previously posted sounds pretty good!

[dannno]

Well I guess I am looking for a perimeter sensor.. Wireless would be pretty sweet but not required.. and I need it to plug into a usb port and tell a computer when it has been activated.

I plan to begin recording immediately and have a flood light come on, this will be controlled by said computer.

[dannno]

OP should get one of these instead:

http://www.comforthouse.com/scarecrows1.html

[JeNNiF00F00]

I'm looking to do something similar.

I have a question though.. does anybody know what those things are called in convenience stores that detects people coming through the door?

motion detector?

[dannno]

motion detector?

nah, perimeter.

I want to be able to walk around my yard without setting it off.

[Brian4Liberty]

So I poured bacon grease on every dog log out there and the following morning the first dog cleaned the entire ground for me. After that no more dogs.

Seriously LMAO!! :D

[ghengis86]

I saw a house here in Florida where it appears that the tenant is getting screwed...

So, he put a sign in the yard to the effect of "Do Not rent from XYZ Rental! They...blah blah blah..."

He has it sitting out front and I look up at the window and there's a little web cam pointed at it in case the landlord came to mess with it.

I do know that in NH, they just made it legal to video tape a police officer.

this was illegal previously? wtf kind of nazi-germany do we live in?

[Pepsi]

I have an old mini video camera from 1987 that I use to keep watch over my back yard. The only thing about it that I dont like that it tends to eat up the video taps every now and than, thow I see no reason to throw it out since it does a good job of recording the back yard.

[123tim]

I highly recommend this free software for watching moving objects over long periods of time:

Securecam
http://www.snapfiles.com/screenshots/securecam.htm

It's free and simple to use (once you figure out that you double click on the image window to enter the setup menu). It uses a standard usb webcam to operate. You can set the interval of snapshots and set the motion detection to the desired level for activation.

I've tried several freeware titles and found this to work the best for me.

[dannno]

I highly recommend this free software for watching moving objects over long periods of time:

Securecam
http://www.snapfiles.com/screenshots/securecam.htm

It's free and simple to use (once you figure out that you double click on the image window to enter the setup menu). It uses a standard usb webcam to operate. You can set the interval of snapshots and set the motion detection to the desired level for activation.

I've tried several freeware titles and found this to work the best for me.

Nice.


Using that instead of the perimeter sensors, I think I just built myself a high tech security system for less than $75..

2.4ghz Wireless Indoor/Outdoor WeatherProof Security Camera (Color & Night-Vision Surveillance Cam)
http://www.intelspy.com/wi2carccoaup.html

+

USB DVR cable
http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/perfectly-simple-usb-dvr/

[123tim]

Nice.


Using that instead of the perimeter sensors, I think I just built myself a high tech security system for less than $75..

2.4ghz Wireless Indoor/Outdoor WeatherProof Security Camera (Color & Night-Vision Surveillance Cam)
http://www.intelspy.com/wi2carccoaup.html

+

USB DVR cable
http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/perfectly-simple-usb-dvr/


It does seem to work well.

That camera that you found looks like a great buy.

I wish that I had it (and the software) when we had someone loudly knocking on our door and then running away. That happened for about a week straight. I never did find out who was doing the knocking. Now it seems like I have no reason to "spy" on anything. :)