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

  1. #1

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

    Someone keeps letting their dog $#@! on my front lawn every single day. And when I say $#@!, 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 . 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.
    Last edited by jrich4rpaul; 04-06-2009 at 09:46 PM.
    "No way could I be elected,
    because I'm not going to play the role of Santa Claus.
    I'm going to play the role of trying to tell people the truth."

    - Ron Paul

    Campaign For Liberty
    Free State Project



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  3. #2
    Don't return the property. Try this:

    1. Collect a mountain of evidence of the dog $#@!ting in your yard.
    2. Hire someone to come clean up the dog $#@!.
    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 $#@!

    You get the idea...

  4. #3
    Set up a Game Camera. or two.
    They are motion sensitive. and inexpensive.
    http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st..._SearchResults
    There are several others, just look around.
    Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.
    Ron Paul 2004

    Registered Ron Paul supporter # 2202
    It's all about Freedom

  5. #4
    Check local laws, but you can definitely do it if it doesn't record other people's property.
    http://www.ronpaul2012.com/
    Quote Originally Posted by GK Chesterton
    It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing. Alas, it is worse than that. When they stop believing in God, they believe in anything.
    Quote Originally Posted by Rt. Hon. Edmund Burke
    Nothing is so fatal to religion as indifference.

  6. #5
    Some states may require you to post a plainly visible warning such as this premesis is monitored by remote video surveillance.
    1776 > 1984

    The FAILURE of the United States Government to operate and maintain an
    Honest Money System , which frees the ordinary man from the clutches of the money manipulators, is the single largest contributing factor to the World's current Economic Crisis.

    The Elimination of Privacy is the Architecture of Genocide

    Belief, Money, and Violence are the three ways all people are controlled

    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    Our central bank is not privately owned.

  7. #6
    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

  8. #7
    Set up a normal video camra in your window and point it to your front yard.

  9. #8
    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 $#@!er to quit letting his dog $#@! on your yard!
    1776 > 1984

    The FAILURE of the United States Government to operate and maintain an
    Honest Money System , which frees the ordinary man from the clutches of the money manipulators, is the single largest contributing factor to the World's current Economic Crisis.

    The Elimination of Privacy is the Architecture of Genocide

    Belief, Money, and Violence are the three ways all people are controlled

    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    Our central bank is not privately owned.



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  11. #9
    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.
    Last edited by hotbrownsauce; 04-07-2009 at 12:44 AM.
    Rules to gain ground for our efforts. Remember we are the role models for liberty don't abuse it.
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  12. #10
    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 $#@! 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.)


    Quote Originally Posted by nate895 View Post
    Check local laws, but you can definitely do it if it doesn't record other people's property.
    Quote Originally Posted by DamianTV View Post
    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.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by John of Des Moines View Post
    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
    "Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."
    —Charles Mackay

    "god i fucking wanna rip his balls off and offer them to the gods"
    -Anonymous

  14. #12
    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.
    Definition of political insanity: Voting for the same people expecting different results.

  15. #13
    A quote from another forum, quoting another forum, might be helpful.
    Quote Originally Posted by Agfinger View Post
    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.

  16. #14
    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.
    Diversity finds unity in the message of freedom.

    Dilige et quod vis fac. ~ Saint Augustine

    Quote Originally Posted by phill4paul View Post
    Above all I think everyone needs to understand that neither the Bundys nor Finicum were militia or had prior military training. They were, first and foremost, Ranchers who had about all the shit they could take.
    Quote Originally Posted by HOLLYWOOD View Post
    If anything, this situation has proved the government is nothing but a dictatorship backed by deadly force... no different than the dictatorships in the banana republics, just more polished and cleverly propagandized.
    "I'll believe in good cops when they start turning bad cops in."

    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    In a free society there will be bigotry, and racism, and sexism and religious disputes and, and, and.......
    I don't want to live in a cookie cutter, federally mandated society.
    Give me messy freedom every time!

  17. #15
    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?
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  18. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    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.
    Diversity finds unity in the message of freedom.

    Dilige et quod vis fac. ~ Saint Augustine

    Quote Originally Posted by phill4paul View Post
    Above all I think everyone needs to understand that neither the Bundys nor Finicum were militia or had prior military training. They were, first and foremost, Ranchers who had about all the shit they could take.
    Quote Originally Posted by HOLLYWOOD View Post
    If anything, this situation has proved the government is nothing but a dictatorship backed by deadly force... no different than the dictatorships in the banana republics, just more polished and cleverly propagandized.
    "I'll believe in good cops when they start turning bad cops in."

    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    In a free society there will be bigotry, and racism, and sexism and religious disputes and, and, and.......
    I don't want to live in a cookie cutter, federally mandated society.
    Give me messy freedom every time!



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  20. #17
    Have you tried talking to your neighbor? Not everything has to be a lawsuit.

  21. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    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.
    Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.
    Ron Paul 2004

    Registered Ron Paul supporter # 2202
    It's all about Freedom

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by pcosmar View Post
    I call mine dogs.
    Hehe, I have those as well. We're set up like Fort Knox around here.
    Diversity finds unity in the message of freedom.

    Dilige et quod vis fac. ~ Saint Augustine

    Quote Originally Posted by phill4paul View Post
    Above all I think everyone needs to understand that neither the Bundys nor Finicum were militia or had prior military training. They were, first and foremost, Ranchers who had about all the shit they could take.
    Quote Originally Posted by HOLLYWOOD View Post
    If anything, this situation has proved the government is nothing but a dictatorship backed by deadly force... no different than the dictatorships in the banana republics, just more polished and cleverly propagandized.
    "I'll believe in good cops when they start turning bad cops in."

    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    In a free society there will be bigotry, and racism, and sexism and religious disputes and, and, and.......
    I don't want to live in a cookie cutter, federally mandated society.
    Give me messy freedom every time!

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by RCA View Post
    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!
    "No way could I be elected,
    because I'm not going to play the role of Santa Claus.
    I'm going to play the role of trying to tell people the truth."

    - Ron Paul

    Campaign For Liberty
    Free State Project

  24. #21
    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.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  25. #22
    OP should get one of these instead:

    http://www.comforthouse.com/scarecrows1.html
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    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?

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by JeNNiF00F00 View Post
    motion detector?
    nah, perimeter.

    I want to be able to walk around my yard without setting it off.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."



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  29. #25
    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!!

  30. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Elwar View Post
    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?

  31. #27
    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.

  32. #28
    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.
    Last edited by 123tim; 04-07-2009 at 04:08 PM.

  33. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by 123tim View Post
    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_i...imple-usb-dvr/
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  34. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    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_i...imple-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.
    Last edited by 123tim; 04-08-2009 at 02:28 PM.



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