Video Surveillance Ethics & Legalities in New York
Can I Record My Nanny? Are Audio Recordings Legal Commercially? What’s the Deal When It Comes to Video Surveillance Ethics? People often question video surveillance ethics. Home video surveillance is gaining popularity. Property crimes have risen. Also, parents want to check on kids, elderly relatives, and pets when away. Seeing kids home from school or checking on an elderly relative with health issues brings peace of mind. People just pick up their smartphones. Parents also install video surveillance. They check on kids and nannies during the day. Employers use it to protect their business and workers. The many uses of video surveillance raise questions. What ethical and legal rules should people follow? This applies to home and business video surveillance. They monitor family, pets, employees, and businesses. The good news is we have answers for you. Protect Your Home or Business When You’re Away What to Know about Residential Video Surveillance If you choose home video surveillance, you can put cameras inside and outside. If you want indoor cameras to watch kids, nannies, pets, or elderly relatives when you’re away, don’t legally or ethically put cameras in bathrooms or a live-in nanny’s bedroom. Also, don’t install cameras in guest rooms. That would violate overnight guests’ privacy. It’s okay to put a camera in your own bedroom or young children’s bedrooms. If you hire a nanny, it is best to do the following to ensure video surveillance ethics are followed: Advise the nanny that cameras are used inside the home. Show the nanny where the cameras are located. Have the nanny sign an agreement in which he/she acknowledges the presence of video surveillance in the home. Hiding cameras and using them secretly breaks trust. It goes against video surveillance ethics. Parents want to protect kids. Homeowners want to protect property. But it unnerves people to find out they are being videoed without their okay. Proper notice can stop many problems. It’s best to have anyone working on the property sign an agreement. This paper shows they know about the cameras. It’s also ethical and polite to tell non-employees entering the property. Use a sign or tell them they are under surveillance. What to Know about Commercial Video Surveillance Ethics Just like you’d have a nanny sign an agreement, business owners should have employees sign one too. This paper should say they know they are on video at work. The law doesn’t require this. But it’s a good way to protect everyone. Business owner’s right to install cameras. It’s important to cover all of the bases. Usually, people install cameras to watch over everyone’s safety there. Also, business owners can make sure their business is okay when they aren’t present. Furthermore, many home rules apply here too. For example, don’t put cameras in restrooms, locker rooms, or changing rooms. This breaks privacy rules. It could even be seen as spying. Moreover, it’s bad when someone accuses an employer of recording in private areas. Consequently, the issue of “audio surveillance” arises. State-of-The-Art Systems That Meet Your Needs The Scoop on Video with Audio and the Video Surveillance Ethics There are some states that protect against audio recordings without the consent of the nanny or other party entering the premises. New York isn’t one of those, but, again, it is common courtesy to notify the nanny, handyman, dog walker, or another individual that the video cameras can also record audio. When the person is an employee, written consent will be needed. The following video addresses video surveillance rules that must be followed by Realtors, but has valuable information that can apply to any property owner wishing to have home surveillance cameras installed: Commercial Audio Surveillance – Employees Regarding commercial video that includes audio, an employer can only use video-only surveillance when they operate cameras without employees’ knowledge. However, section 250.05 of the New York Penal Law states that an employer can’t eavesdrop on conversations by mechanical means anyway. Since video cameras with audio recording ability fall within this category, violating this law constitutes a felony. On the other hand, New York allows recording a person’s voice with their consent. Therefore, if you have employees sign an agreement in which they acknowledge their voice will be recorded in certain areas of the business when they are present in the building, then you protect yourself against eavesdropping laws. Commercial Audio Surveillance – Customers As far as recording the voices of customers, there are some establishments that may need audio recording for security reasons. These establishments include: Check cashing establishments Banks Educational testing centers Convenience store/gas station counters Nightclub entrances and exits If it is a must for audio surveillance to be present, posting a sign doesn’t excuse unlawful audio reception. It is imperative that all audio recordings are carried out lawfully. Posting a sign that says, “Entering this facility implies that you consent to audio surveillance” works well. However, don’t immediately choose audio if you’re unsure how your business can stay within the law. Furthermore, if you ever doubt it, seek legal advice from an experienced attorney. Since every business and situation differs, it’s important that you define your intent so you know whether or not it violates the law. Ultimately, the decision depends on how important audio surveillance is to you. Contact Your Western New York Security Company SPS Fire & Security specializes in residential and business video surveillance. We use state-of-the-art equipment, commitment to the customers, and personalized service to give you the best experience possible. We also give you better protection for your home or business and we’re local! Call us today at 585-770-0348 or complete our contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Video Surveillance Cameras in Schools
School Video Surveillance Tips Keeping our kids safe should be the school’s number one priority. Schools nowadays should have a good security system in place. Video surveillance is what every school should have between theft, accidents leading to lawsuits and unwanted visits. If a school doesn’t already have video surveillance camera system to keep an eye on areas where personnel may not be present at all times, administrators should think about contacting a security company to learn about the advantages of getting one. Best Areas for Video Surveillance There are many areas of a school that administrators can’t monitor all the times. Three potential areas that are should have video surveillance; parking, playground, and hallways. Parking lots: Many individuals (staff, parents, kids, bus drivers, deliveries and more) come and go from the school grounds. Many problems occur in the school parking lot such as car accidents, break-ins, fights or loitering, but having security cameras to monitor that parking lot allows the administrator in charge of the cameras to oversee and playback any problems that may occur. Many problems can be resolved, such as who was at fault for a car accident. Playgrounds: A great number of accidents occur on the playground that not every staff member who is outside with the children can monitor. If an accident ever occurs, an administrator can playback the video surveillance footage to see all the specifics of the accident. Video surveillance can also be useful when determining who started a fight or identify someone who was on school grounds who shouldn’t have been. Hallways: One of the most common locations for video surveillance cameras is all through the school in the hallways. These locations are high traffic by not only the students and staff but many individuals who come to visit the school, such as parents and delivery people. Between fights and conflicts that happens near lockers and bathrooms, video surveillance is important to have in the hallways. Keeping Students Safe Parking lots, playgrounds and hallways are all good places to have video cameras, but the staff at the school knows best other areas where video surveillance can be useful. If there is a high rate of fights near a certain bathroom or around a corner that is hard to see, then maybe that is a spot where video surveillance can be added for monitoring. Contact Your Rochester Security Company If you as a parent or staff member know that your school doesn’t have proper security systems or needs to upgrade to more contact SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348.
Benefits of Video Surveillance for Business
How Video Cameras Can Protect Your Business A great number of businesses have video surveillance systems and many other security devices to protect not only the business, but their workers and customers. As technology improves, so does the security systems that are in the businesses. Nowadays, surveillance systems do a wide verity of things, such as video recording, capturing important details, and much more. One of the biggest benefits of security video is that the owner, boss or manager of the company can control it remotely from their home or from any where in the world. Video Surveillance Benefits Reduces Theft – By having a camera system installed at your business, you can easily cut the number of thefts that happens. Research has proven that the average small business losses around $50k per year. Business can cut that in half by just getting the system installed. Makes Available Evidence for Criminal Reports – When a business has a video surveillance camera and has a problem such as theft, it makes easier to have access to evidence by just viewing the footage from the camera. Law enforcement can replay footage to then make a clearer cut accusation for a report. Improves Productivity – Knowing that a company has a surveillance camera system will enable the employees to be on their best behavior when you are not at the business. Around the Clock Protection – When the company is closed, the owner or boss in charge can have peace of mind knowing that while they are sleeping the camera system is doing the job they need it to do. Cost Effective – Hired security guards and police officers patrolling the area of your business can be helpful, but sometimes they can be costly (thousands and thousands of dollars a year). They may be at your business a significant amount the time, but they sure enough don’t do what a surveillance system will do. Cuts Insurance Rates – By owning a surveillance system for a business, you can save up to 10% on your coverage. Reduces Liability – Many times a criminal will come into a business and make a false claim. With the camera footage, the owner can look to see what evidence there is before filing a report. Peace of Mind – Every person seeking a place of employment wants to find a job that they feel safe and secure going to. Having a surveillance camera gives all employees at a business the feeling of safety. Rochester Video Surveillance Experts Deciding on a video surveillance system can be tough, but it is better than not having one at all. If your company or a company that you know is in need of better security, contact SPS Fire and Security at 585-770-0348. We make the decision easy for you.