Legal aspects of setting up surveillance on my house to watch street?

Question

We've had a rash of vandalism on our street (neighbor had a rock thrown through their front window, cars broken into, etc) and I was thinking of setting up a video camera on the roof of my house to watch the street. What, if any legal aspects are there of doing this in the USA?

Answer 1

I set up video surveillance at my wife's shop after it was broken in to several times.  Such recording is only for giving the police for an investigation.  You absolutely cannot post the video or use it in any other way than for security purposes without the written permission of anyone who appears in it.

Consider outfits like WalMart - they monitor their parking lots with video...

BTW - you can get 8 hour continuous loop VCR tapes for this application.  Good luck!

Answer 2

If you set up a camera, on your property, to watch your home/yard, there is no law.

As far as I'm aware, unless you're pointing the camera at your neighbor's bedroom or bathroom window, and recording their phone calls, there is nothing illegal about it.  

Answer 3

No. You are well within your rights to do this, especially considering that you are putting the camera on your property and surveilling a public (taxpayer-funded) place. You also have just reason to do this considering the recent acts of vandalism. Make sure you have a time and date stamp on the video and night-vision capabilities, if the light is insufficient, so the tape can be used as evidence against the suspects.

Also, consider having a dummy camera and a real one. Another consideration is to position it so that the video tape won't indicate where the camera is located. Fear of the unknown is a powerful deterrent to crime.

If you were taping your neighbor's backyard, where they sunbathe in the nude, that would be an invasion of their privacy and would be unethical.