Hey Tony I know u were in surveillance, I am looking for a good in car video camera. Something that will work in day/night mode and can instant replay video right on the camera? Also needs to be able to swivel and have audio as well. I want to make sure that the next time I get harassed coming home in the early am hours that I am not at the mercy of these criminal bastards.
Nick, that was so many years ago! We used the two piece Panasonic vhs units because we could attach 1000mm Camera lenses on them and park blocks away. Also the courts used VHS for playback.
My main vehicle was a gray (inconspicuous) Ford Aerostar with camera boom mounts at the windows and a small monitor to watch so I didn't have to peek out the window. A camera could easily shoot through a 1 cm slit in the curtains. I also owned a gray Plymouth Champ (completely unnoticable), ax Lx Mustang, a Ford Escort (also gray) and a red Fiero to mix it up a little. These were all tools of the trade.
I loved the work at first. I understand why adrenaline junkies want to be cops. The adrenaline rush you get from watching a doorway for 12 hrs, then finally seeing the subject exit, trying to follow him without getting burned, then eventually getting usable video is amazing.
What I was doing was right. We were all civilians, no ex cops in our firm. We were taught to be honest in our reports and our findings. The one guy who wasn't (out of eight) was fired and subsequently became a cop. (Surprised?)
We were stopping theft. It was a noble cause.
But even in that vocation, laziness and impatience leads to dishonesty. To speed things up we dressed as various delivery or utility employees to positively id the subject when time would have eventually id'd them anyway at the doctors or lawyers office. But we were encouraged to lie to save time. I was constantly on the phone lying to the subject's relatives to make my job easier.
I didn't see anything wrong with it at first till I started realizing that all of us took it home with us and lied to everyone around us making the excuse that it is better to lie if the end result is what we considered a good result.
This is what happens in any industry where lying is tolerated in any form.
After about 5 years I left the industry. I opened my own agency, but found I didn't have the self control at that point in my life to refrain from the deceptive shortcuts.
It took me years to escape the lie lifestyle. I live in a much better world now.
Nick, I am out of the loop now, but I would suggest you get a one button record app on your phone.
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