It keeps the cops in check if they know you’re recording, especially if you tell them that it’s being streamed to a cloud service.
It’s perfectly legal no matter what they say otherwise. I hate to think of all the innocents being dragged through jails and courts for months because they have no evidence of their own, but the cops do which somehow goes “missing”.
I looked at the reviews of the Contour Roam on Amazon, along with several similar cameras but was waved off by the number of people who said that the company’s out of business and the software isn’t supported. The more expensive brands had horror stories about vapor locking hardware and software and crap customer service. Have you personally had any issues with the camera? I’d hate to drop $150-plus down the latrine, and I’m not tech-savvy.
I’ve had no problems at all with mine; Dom recommended it, incidentally. As far as software: I just plugged mine in – and done. The unit has only two buttons to work. One to focus it, the other to turn it on and off. That’s it. I’ve had mine for more than a year now.
There are a number of cheap dash cams on the market now. Specifically designed for this task. Back when started recording dash cams of any quality were very expensive systems. There was trash and then what a bus company would install and nothing in between. That hole in the market has been filled since. What I ended up doing is adapting an RCA little wonder camera to the task. It’s held up well even when I’ve dropped it. I did have to make a new battery door after I dropped it one too many times… (I have access to an FDM machine so I just 3D modeled the battery door and made a new one) It’s getting increasingly flaky these days so it’s probably time to replace it. I may go with one of the specifically designed dash cams because I don’t want a cam with an internal battery or battery pack I have to keep charged. The little wonder runs on AA’s. I just swap rechargeables in and out of the charger so remembering to charge a battery isn’t an issue.
Actuall, it’s NOT legal everywhere.
In the Communistwealth of Massachusetts, it’s illegal to record without BOTH parties’ consent.
You give “implied consent” by using the roads, so the pigs can record your actions at any stop-point.
They – EVEN THOUGH IN PUBLIC, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE RECORDING YOU – DO NOT GIVE CONSENT, BY DEFAULT. Note that it’s a WIRETAPPING law they’ll screw you with. (covers “eavesdropping” as well, as a defined term, which allows them to beat you up legally.)
We would need to get the statute up in the Supreme Court. Shouldn’t need to – the intent was clearly to oppose illegal wiretaps BY THE POLICE – but since when does law matter to those who “enforce their law?”
Just be warned about this communistwealth. I don’t see a lot of speed traps or even large numbers of patrols, but I see the potential up here. Winthrop has Hummers with turrets… there’s an army depot just up the road, FILLED with Hummers and APCs, though no MRAPs yet. Don’t know what’s in the buildings. But with an air force base a few miles out, and the populace here so pacified already? I can see how this will work….
In Illinois the law says a traffic stop may be recorded. Doesn’t say by who. It’s been this way since long before they started arresting people for it. The news media never bothered to read and report what the written law actually is. Now most may read it and assume ‘by law enforcement’, but that’s not how it is written, there is a blanket exception from eavesdropping for traffic stops so long as there is video & audio together.
Anyways I have been stopped three times since I started recording what seems like a lifetime ago but was only 2007. Two cops approached from the driver’s side and since my cam is mounted on the passenger side headrest it is doubtful they saw it. The third approached from the passenger side. He had to have seen it, but ignored it. The third was after all the bad press, so that may be the reason.
If you’re worried about the legality then just hide the cam. In any case you have the right to protect yourself from harm or threat of such and use it in evidence if necessary, otherwise the law would be one-sided and the case should be thrown out.
If the cops’ video somehow goes “missing” and there’s a discrepancy in the case, then the judge should allow your video to clarify the circumstances.
Find out what rights and legalities the media have for filming in public around Massachusetts. Know your rights, or you have none.
At least that one was suspended. How about the video Fox News ran today, about the passenger who was tased after the cops broke the car window? For a seat belt violation of the *driver.* That Indiana PD is backing up the three fascists who considered their show of force proportional to the alleged crime–a victimless crime which should be between the driver and her insurance company, if she’s injured in an accident. Of course, with aggressive cretins like that running around, she’s at more risk from law enforcement than from not buckling up.
Lesson learned: always record your travels.
It keeps the cops in check if they know you’re recording, especially if you tell them that it’s being streamed to a cloud service.
It’s perfectly legal no matter what they say otherwise. I hate to think of all the innocents being dragged through jails and courts for months because they have no evidence of their own, but the cops do which somehow goes “missing”.
I’ve been recording since my encounter with the PTSD suffering officer 82nd airborne. Hence all my contributions to clovercam.
Me too, Brent.
I keep my Contour Roam with me at all times.
Eric,
I looked at the reviews of the Contour Roam on Amazon, along with several similar cameras but was waved off by the number of people who said that the company’s out of business and the software isn’t supported. The more expensive brands had horror stories about vapor locking hardware and software and crap customer service. Have you personally had any issues with the camera? I’d hate to drop $150-plus down the latrine, and I’m not tech-savvy.
Hi Paula,
I’ve had no problems at all with mine; Dom recommended it, incidentally. As far as software: I just plugged mine in – and done. The unit has only two buttons to work. One to focus it, the other to turn it on and off. That’s it. I’ve had mine for more than a year now.
I didn’t know the company went out of business….
There are a number of cheap dash cams on the market now. Specifically designed for this task. Back when started recording dash cams of any quality were very expensive systems. There was trash and then what a bus company would install and nothing in between. That hole in the market has been filled since. What I ended up doing is adapting an RCA little wonder camera to the task. It’s held up well even when I’ve dropped it. I did have to make a new battery door after I dropped it one too many times… (I have access to an FDM machine so I just 3D modeled the battery door and made a new one) It’s getting increasingly flaky these days so it’s probably time to replace it. I may go with one of the specifically designed dash cams because I don’t want a cam with an internal battery or battery pack I have to keep charged. The little wonder runs on AA’s. I just swap rechargeables in and out of the charger so remembering to charge a battery isn’t an issue.
Actuall, it’s NOT legal everywhere.
In the Communistwealth of Massachusetts, it’s illegal to record without BOTH parties’ consent.
You give “implied consent” by using the roads, so the pigs can record your actions at any stop-point.
They – EVEN THOUGH IN PUBLIC, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE RECORDING YOU – DO NOT GIVE CONSENT, BY DEFAULT. Note that it’s a WIRETAPPING law they’ll screw you with. (covers “eavesdropping” as well, as a defined term, which allows them to beat you up legally.)
We would need to get the statute up in the Supreme Court. Shouldn’t need to – the intent was clearly to oppose illegal wiretaps BY THE POLICE – but since when does law matter to those who “enforce their law?”
Just be warned about this communistwealth. I don’t see a lot of speed traps or even large numbers of patrols, but I see the potential up here. Winthrop has Hummers with turrets… there’s an army depot just up the road, FILLED with Hummers and APCs, though no MRAPs yet. Don’t know what’s in the buildings. But with an air force base a few miles out, and the populace here so pacified already? I can see how this will work….
In Illinois the law says a traffic stop may be recorded. Doesn’t say by who. It’s been this way since long before they started arresting people for it. The news media never bothered to read and report what the written law actually is. Now most may read it and assume ‘by law enforcement’, but that’s not how it is written, there is a blanket exception from eavesdropping for traffic stops so long as there is video & audio together.
Anyways I have been stopped three times since I started recording what seems like a lifetime ago but was only 2007. Two cops approached from the driver’s side and since my cam is mounted on the passenger side headrest it is doubtful they saw it. The third approached from the passenger side. He had to have seen it, but ignored it. The third was after all the bad press, so that may be the reason.
If you’re worried about the legality then just hide the cam. In any case you have the right to protect yourself from harm or threat of such and use it in evidence if necessary, otherwise the law would be one-sided and the case should be thrown out.
If the cops’ video somehow goes “missing” and there’s a discrepancy in the case, then the judge should allow your video to clarify the circumstances.
Find out what rights and legalities the media have for filming in public around Massachusetts. Know your rights, or you have none.
At least that one was suspended. How about the video Fox News ran today, about the passenger who was tased after the cops broke the car window? For a seat belt violation of the *driver.* That Indiana PD is backing up the three fascists who considered their show of force proportional to the alleged crime–a victimless crime which should be between the driver and her insurance company, if she’s injured in an accident. Of course, with aggressive cretins like that running around, she’s at more risk from law enforcement than from not buckling up.