An issue often debated by the public is surveillance cameras, and whether they are legally or invasively used by the government in public places, and on private property by private citizens.

In Vancouver, British Columbia, volunteers are taking up the cause. They are fanning out in the central business district and photographing and documenting every government-placed video surveillance camera. They are noting every surveillance camera on a map, which be available to the public in order to prompt discussion.

These volunteers believe that people will be surprised just how many surveillance cameras there are in public places, and they would be surprised where they are placed. The group is curious about public reaction: will it be one of comfort (surveillance cameras are protecting them from crime) or discomfort (surveillance cameras cross a line of privacy.)

Or is it somewhere in-between? What’s the government going to do with its surveillance footage? Catching a mugger on surveillance video is one thing. Using the surveillance video to bust jaywalkers and litterbugs is quite another. What if a man and women were recorded strolling in a romantic rendezvous? Who would have access to such surveillance footage?

Some say surveillance cameras are a strong deterrent to crime. In Salt Lake City, Utah, police said drug dealings at Pioneer Park were virtually eradicated after installing a series of surveillance cameras. It was well-advertised in signs at the park that the green space was under 24-hour surveillance.

Some people will argue that the surveillance didn’t stop drug dealing, it just moved on somewhere else to become someone else’s problem.

When people know that they’re under the watchful gaze of a surveillance camera, they will usually conform to expectations. For instance, we know toll booths, ATMs and gas station checkout counters are equipped for surveillance video. Ordinary people who generally follow the straight and narrow wouldn’t dream of willfully committing a crime in these surveillance areas – unless, of course, they are wearing a disguise.

Surveillance Cameras in Private Use

Are surveillance cameras helpful in deterring crime when used in a private home or business? Do surveillance images help apprehend criminals?

Probably fewer than one in 10 American homes is equipped with a surveillance system, though that number is growing, as surveillance systems become more cost-effective and versatile. Any home invader should be conscious of the fact that his crime might be recorded. The question is where that surveillance camera is covertly placed. Manufacturers are coming up with clever solutions for home surveillance, with cameras being installed in art pieces, lamps, clocks, books and dozens of other household objects. Surveillance systems for the home are also more durable than they were in years past. Many are weather-resistant, tamper-resistant, have large memory storage and professional-quality resolution.

Two incidents that happened in the United States within days of each other prove that home surveillance systems are useful for catching bad guys.

In Las Cruces, N.M., a man and two juveniles were arrested for home burglary after a homeowner’s surveillance system caught them committing the act. In Jefferson County, MO., a home surveillance camera recorded three men who are suspects in a series of neighborhood car break-ins.

In the first case, police investigating a home burglary found an empty, unlocked residence. Once the owner returned to check the home, he reported two guns, two video cameras, two laptop computers and a professional-grade digital camera missing. The owner informed police that he had a surveillance camera operating at the time inside the house. He installed it because he had been a victim of burglary before.

The surveillance footage showed three men who were recognized by police as residents of a nearby mobile home park. Questioning soon led to the arrest of the three.

A police officer said that without the surveillance footage, the investigative team had no substantial leads. There was no evidence of break-in (a babysitter left the home unlocked), no fingerprints, no footprints, and no witnesses. The surveillance footage gave police “full, close-up pictures of the suspects as they passed before the camera.”

In the second case in Missouri, about 10 vehicles in the same subdivision were burglarized overnight. Laptops, CDs, digital cameras, GPS systems, and sound systems were stolen. A neighbor’s outdoor home surveillance system kicked investigations into high gear. It showed three men suspiciously eyeing the surveillance system owner’s Camaro, about the same time as the other car burglaries. The surveillance recording was turned over to police and they have broadcast it to the public in an attempt to identify the suspects.

Many neighbors now say that they are shopping for home surveillance systems.

What to Look For

When shopping for a home surveillance system, consumers should first consider whether they want one that streams live (real-time), or one that records surveillance video for later viewing (passive). The majority of homeowners will choose a passive surveillance system because of its ease of use and practicality.

Price is also an important consideration. Many manufacturers will make several versions of surveillance products with several price points to attract a wider array of customers. Home surveillance systems vary from discount-store pricing to professional-grade surveillance.

Surveillance systems come in many types and have a number of different features. Most surveillance systems will be motion activated, have a time/date stamp, and have the ability to record in low-light situations. Potential surveillance camera buyers should decide if they want a wireless or wired system and test image resolution in variable light.

The most basic of surveillance cameras are simple bullet cameras, also called lipstick cameras. They get the name because of their short, cylindrical shape, about 2 inches. They usually have a fixed position lens and a fixed focus. These cameras are good for small spaces where there is a specific spot where surveillance recording is needed: (around a safe, car, baby’s high chair, front door, etc.)

Dome cameras usually have pan, tilt and zoom control. They usually have a mirrored or smoky globe so that, even if a subject notices the surveillance, they do not know if the equipment is directly facing and recording them.

Motion-activated, covert surveillance cameras are a third category of home protection. These tiny, compact surveillance systems are hidden in everyday household objects such as books, clocks and lamps for indoors and mailboxes and bird houses for outdoor use.