A Camera on My House
I've lived in this house over five years. Three and 1/2 years ago my then-neighbors moved and a single woman, probably in her late fifties-early sixties, moved in. She obviously wanted to be 'friends' with me but I felt something was very OFF about her and resisted in a very nice way. Last summer she asked me if my 14 year old son would be willing to cut her grass for an agreed upon price. She said, "I want him to sign a contract right now!" Um...to cut your grass? She also required that he wear steel-toed boots, leather gloves and eye protection (things we had to supply) while he mowed and get a complete training session on her mower (a standard push mower) (oh, and all these requirements were presented to me in writing.) Now, my son had been cutting my yard and the OTHER neighbors yard with a push mower for a couple years now without incident and I thought she was going a bit overboard. I wasn't interested in him or me 'signing' a contract either. I told her to forget it, it was too much bother. She then presented me with a type-written note about how mean I was, what a 'bully', and she hoped my son got his foot cut off with the mower. I knew before all this that the woman was probably bi-polar but this was a bit much. Things got frosty after that. A month or so later something happened to her cyclone fence (a small tear in it) and she blamed me and my son. NOW the woman has a video camera pointed at my house!! I feel so violated and there is NOTHING I can do about it! It's perfectly legal for her to videotape me, my family, my comings and goings, etc. She is the sort who LIVES for this shit, she has nothing to do all day, no friends, and stirring up a neighbor war would be right up her alley. She is VERY litiginous--I gathered that from my (very) few dealings with her. She'd like nothing more than a reaction from me and I won't give her one, but, damn, I feel kinda sick to my stomach every time I go outside!
Put up little signs...
:wstupid:
I wonder what effect a laser pointer would have on a camera... Nah, she'd probably deliberately look into it and sue.
People suck, there's just no way around the basic fact.
Is it a web cam, or something that eats up media like tape or discs?
But wouldn't it be funny if, say, someone in a full Ninja outfit, unidentifiable, suddenly appeared on camera and whipped out their wang and took a 30-second piss all over the window where it sits. Really soak the thing down. Followed by, say, a little sign saying don't fuck with this neighborhood.
Naw. As a proven harmless Sensitive Male (TM) I would never actually do anything like this. It's basic human decency and can only aggravate the situation. I recommend ignoring it as hard as possible. Sometimes passive-aggressive is the right way.
get a camera to video her camera. She'll have to escalate, and eventually you'll get to an equilibrium of mutually assured video.
Is it a web cam, or something that eats up media like tape or discs?
i am 90% sure it eats up media.
I thought of having a masked streaker go by the camera, but, as you pointed out, passive-aggressive is best with someone like her who is DYING for attention.
I just really does make me sick. All I can do is look at it and wonder if she is taping me. I can't even go lay out in the backyard now. I feel like a prisoner in my own house and it's perfectly legal and OK for her to do this.
At least make it interesting, Bri. For the love of Pete, you have the perfect opportunity to jack with her. Hang nudie pics outside...with little pieces of black tape over the naughty bits. Make up signs of your own, like "My neighbor is videotaping me 24/7. Write your opinions here." Find some mirrors and spend some time directing sunlight into the lens. In fact, get several mirrors, put them on stands, and assure that at least one of them will be directing sunlight into the lens at all times. When she moves the camera, move the mirrors. Put on a ballerina costume and do Swan Lake outdoors. Offer to dog sit for several friends, then chain them all up outside in full view of the camera and feed them beans. Put up a couple of bird feeders and attract squirrels. Get some big sheets from the thrift store and build a giant blind.
Actually, I like the laser idea the best. Wait until she's asleep, then burn the CCD out of the camera with it.
If you'll post a Google Earth view of your place and indicate the neighbor's place, I'll try to think up even more creative stuff for you to do based on the juxtaposition of the camera and your property.
I wonder what effect a laser pointer would have on a camera...
A laser pointer of the appropriate wattage would likely blind the camera. A suitably focused floodlight might do the same...and possibly an infrared flood woiuld work in daytime too.
Too bad it's not one of those
S-band fed video cams; a lot of fun could be had overloading the back end with your own signal. Show her whatever you like: the Hindenberg burning, the goatse man, random YouTube clips, a picture of a video cam looking back at her...
Can you contact the police to contact disablilty services or senior services ? Approach it as a 'welfare' check?
Make it seem like it is in her benefit that someone see what's happening with her?
I know it's about feeling violated. The story you told shows how off balance she is and you are right in feeling awful about it.
I would think a camera and a threat to your son would be grounds for investigation. The only way to relieve this is to get others involved in her welfare. I know it dosn't sound fair but sometimes you have to use the system to fight the system. Tell disability or senior services how worried you are for this person. The police can help.
Put on a ballerina costume and do Swan Lake outdoors.
I can just see the patty wagon comming...
......then the funny lady can sell the homemade movie to dateline and we can all watch Bri doing Swan Lake too .:p
All fab ideas, and I thank you. I WAS thinking about calling Adult Protective
services on her (anonymously, of course) and tell them that I am worried about her 97 year old father who lives with her (she moved him in a few months ago--I saw her at the grocery one day when she didn't see me and she was YELLING at him) and have them do a check just to fuck with her but then I think: that's just what she wants. A reason to escalate. I like the sign "My neighbor is videotaping me 24/7 Write your opinions here" a lot! Very funny! The mirrors idea is doable too. If I got a laser would shining it into the camera lens for a few min. disable it? And could I do that from the safety of my own house or would I have to get right up into the camera lens?
Write her a note and nicely ask her to remove the video camera. If it remains in place, mail her a copy of the letter certified, return receipt requested. This part is to CYA in case she tries to sue you. If she continues, then proceed with Operation Annoy Neighbor.
Set up your own video camera taping her video camera taping you :p . Get a cheap telescope and set it up next to your video camera, pointing straight at your neighbor's house. Set up a strobe on the other side of the video camera so it looks like you are taking flash photos of her/house. Put an inexpensive (child's toy will work) satellite dish looking thing pointing at her house, just under the window. Invite friends (who are in on the plan) to come over in dark suits and cluster in the window as well as outside...all pointing, staring, making notes and looking thru binoculars at your neighbor's house. Make it appear as though you are planning WWIII.
Stormie
I'm all for burning it out. just make sure the firing point is off camera somehow so theres no proof you did it... or "well if it's legal for her to point the camera at my property its legal for me to point a pointer at hers!"
I WAS thinking about calling Adult Protective
services on her (anonymously, of course) and tell them that I am worried about her 97 year old father who lives with her (she moved him in a few months ago--I saw her at the grocery one day when she didn't see me and she was YELLING at him) and have them do a check just to fuck with her but then I think: that's just what she wants. A reason to escalate.
I think she is about as escalated as much as anyone would want to see. You doing nothing won't keep her stable. YES , do do a check on poor ole dad.
It's got to get worse before it can get better. Might as well help it along.:evil2:
You guys' ideas are funny. I wish I could think of ways to fight drama with drama.:cool:
Put an inexpensive (child's toy will work) satellite dish looking thing pointing at her house
Gee...I'm already equipped for that option with
"Spiny Norman" (scroll down) in the backyard.
It's kinda fun to make it slew around from inside the house and point at things; that central hub both rotates around a vertical axis and tilts the antennas up and down.
I always wanted to put a video cam on it too, never got around to it...
First talk to her nicely to take the camera down. If it doesn't work, then send her a certified letter. If that doesn't work, then call the cops. Tell them it's aimed in your window. I believe there are peeping tom laws in some states that prohibit cameras pointing into private dwellings.
My understanding is that a laser pointer won't destroy the camera, but it will wash out the picture so much, she won't be able to see anything. If you know anyone with some basic electronics knowledge, they can wire a laser pointer up to a power supply, and keep it turned on continuously, aimed at her camera lens. Won't eat batteries that way. Won't destroy or harm the camera, but she won't be able so see anything. If you aren't damaging the camera, she can't complain about it to anyone.
Also, do you actually have it in writing that she hopes your son will chop his foot off? If so, hold on to that baby. Show it to the cops and any other authority you can.
And on a final note. If she really is that litiginous, you may want to do nothing, or even consider selling the house and moving. I've heard plenty of stories of nutty neighbors and thier lawsuits. It doesn't do you any good to go into court over and over and over again, defending yourself against frivolous lawsuits, even if you win every one. You will still have to pay thousands of dollars in court fees just to get the lawsuits thrown out. Does she have deep pockets that would allow her to file lawsuits against you? You know her better than anyone, so only you know how she might act, but it's something to consider.
If you know anyone with some basic electronics knowledge, they can wire a laser pointer up to a power supply, and keep it turned on continuously, aimed at her camera lens.
That's what I was worrying about with the lawsuit issue. If the laser is always on, she could say that her vision has been impaired.
I don't see how her vision could be impaired by looking at film of a pointer.
I love the poster of "my neighbor is filming me... post your thoughts here" and the one of your friends with gear dressed in black, but I would station one all over my property at different times of day and night with different gear. A guy with a camera in the morning at the fence, a lady on the roof with binoculars and a notepad, a young man just sitting in the middle of the front yard with a listening device pointed at her house not even trying to hide it..... too much fun.
http://www.shopwildplanet.com/store/merchant.mvc?No, if the pointer was on all the time, she could move the camera and claim that the now uninterrupted beam hit her eye.
I'd check with a lawyer and see if there are any laws against just burning her house to the ground while she is out shopping.
Just wait until 3am and spray the lens black. From behind of course.
No, if the pointer was on all the time, she could move the camera and claim that the now uninterrupted beam hit her eye.
Good point. Brianna would probably but not certainly win that lawsuit, but only after spending thousands in legal fees.
Don't do anything vigilante, Brianna. She sounds like a nut job who will just make you miserable. Go through proper channels, ignore it, or move. Those are your options.
yeah, I guess it's best that I just ignore it as much as I can. We've done nothing to deserve this treatment and if I think about it too much I go crazy. I don't have the money to fight every little battle she would want to create. The really funny thing is that she wants to build a drive way on the land between my house and hers but she doesn't have enough room. She approached me last fall to ask if I would allow her to build it anyway! I couldn't get "no" out of my mouth fast enough. She's the type who moves into your neighborhood and leaves a bunch of trashy crap in her yard (old windows, wheelbarrows, god knows what) and plants PLASTIC flowers in her flowerbeds! She also has those motion detector lights on her house. Paranoid, much?
Let's find an old mannequin, dress it like her, lynch it in the front yard for a few days along with some stuffed animals, then burn it while dancing around to Manson's Antichrist Superstar album!... Man, how come no one ever points a camera at my house?
As for the crap in the yard, do you have no zoning? If so, call them on her.
Where exactly is the camera, and what exactly is it pointing at? Serously, this can't be legal, but (luckily) I don't have any experience with this. Does she have a sump pump? Back it up by plugging the hose with a potato, you guys have been getting a lot of rain, no? That worked for a neighbor A whose other neighbor B was pissing him off by putting B's hose in A's yard. (after A told me that story, I made a mental note not to bitch about A's dog shitting in my yard when he lets him roam the neighborhood)
Where exactly is the camera, and what exactly is it pointing at? Serously, this can't be legal
The camera is in one of her bedroom windows. She's got her blinds pulled away and pinned back! It points directly at the side of my house--the side where my driveway is. Almost directly into one of my side living room windows. Depending on how wide an angle the thing has she can see a lot--the whole one side of my house with side yard and part of back yard. She can see who is knocking at my door, who comes and goes. And it is totally legal for her to do this. She's on HER property. The next time she comes strolling in front of my house I'm going to get my son's videocam and film her walking by. That's within my rights, too. And I'll make sure she sees me doing it.
Somehow a friend of mine's terrible neighbor ended-up with 5lbs of prickly pear cactus seed in his front yard. Was terrible.
Round-up "FREAK" or some other such large word in her front lawn. That'll take awhile to grow back. Even better, just do totally random spots, so that she won't know a human was the cause. Bwa ha ha ha ha!!
This is funny especially because it takes awhile for the stuff to work fully. Do it the right before you leave for several days, so the brown spots show up when you are gone and she can't link you to it.
I just made myself laugh out loud at the thought of this....
All great ideas. I'm afraid she'd catch me though. Who knows how many camera's and re-con stuff she has? Inside her house (I've been in twice under protest) it's like a flea market with junk piled all over and just a little space to walk thru the rooms. She has, like, forty shelves on one wall with all kinds of crap on them. All the junk in her yard is in her backyard. I don't think I can complain about that. See? She really IS insane.
find out the name and address of her attorney, and send him 1 cert. letter per day. i think he'll bill her for the time it takes to read them.
Honestly, the best thing to do would be to erect a couple of tarps between your house and hers as close to the camera as possible.
If she's got that much crap laying around her yard, I can almost guarantee you she's violating a city anti-crap ordinance. Get online and check out your municipalities Municipal Code, and if she's in violation, complain to the city.
Also, shouldn't she have to prove that she isn't using a telephoto or zoom setting on that camera? It *is* illegal to be a voyeur or peeping Tomasina. If it is pointing at your house, how are you to know she isn't using it to invade your interior space?
I think a suitably sized sign with an arrow pointing to her house which reads "I do not believe my neighbor is a pedophile, she just likes videotaping my underage son", would do the trick.
If she's got that much crap laying around her yard, I can almost guarantee you she's violating a city anti-crap ordinance. Get online and check out your municipalities Municipal Code, and if she's in violation, complain to the city.
Also, shouldn't she have to prove that she isn't using a telephoto or zoom setting on that camera? It *is* illegal to be a voyeur or peeping Tomasina. If it is pointing at your house, how are you to know she isn't using it to invade your interior space?
another good example of using the law to your advantage! :thumb:
I think a suitably sized sign with an arrow pointing to her house which reads "I do not believe my neighbor is a pedophile, she just likes videotaping my underage son", would do the trick.
Nice!
Do it the Marine way. Kick her ass.
Or do it the Navy way, and call the Marines. Just joking, folks. Remain calm....
There has to be a solution within the law. Some limits as to how far this shit could go. I bet a call to the PD and a visit from an officer would clear this crap up .
Bad situation. Good luck.
I know a lot of evil things you can do to annoying neighbors. Most involve what could be called vandalism by authorities. The trick is to NOT get caught.
Try spilling bleach over an underground gas main, in a trail leading up to the house.. Spell bad things with it.
Does she have cable TV? Stick a pin into the wire and cut it off flush with the outer covering. That will kill the reception and be hell for the typical repair guy to find.
Mess with her car, a few BBs in a hubcap will panic a non-mechanical person.
If you can get into it, a clamp-on fishing weight on the accelerator cable will give her a nasty jackrabbit start. Dead roadkill inthe summer heat smells bad and will stink out the car forever.
You mentioned she keeps crap in her yard. Help her with her collection. Get other people's trash from the curb (legal to do) and store it in her yard, then complain about it. I once stuffed a dead fish into a neighbors drainpipe in summer, waited until the heat swelled it up and then the stink wafted over the area. Health Dept was called from several residences. Cats from all over moved into the yard. Mayhem and hilarity from me.
I have lots of ideas yet, pm me for more.
Brian
Introduce her to your ex-boyfriend.:haha:
I wish you were in my area, I have four ten-thousand watt halogen light stands that go up to ten feet tall that you would be welcome to. I'm not using them.
. . .it's like a flea market with junk piled all over and just a little space to walk thru the rooms. She has, like, forty shelves on one wall with all kinds of crap on them.
That's an OCD sufferer's house. Get the county psych people in there.
footfootfoot and lookout123, you two made me LOL for real.
Brianna, if she lives for this type of shit why not go along with it. Wave at the camera, bring people over and point it out (being sure to smile and wave). I'd bet that would set her off. Meanwhile get the shrinks / city inspector or whatever you need out there. Double whammy.
Oh, if it does eat media you could certainly plant a flag somewhere. It would probably register movement with every gust of wind. Then again she could be using something rewritable or not even using media (an old trick our school system used for the on-bus cameras) because she just wants to irk you not record you.
Screw it. Just flash the camera. Repeatedly.
You could always trim your shrubbery to send a message.
If she's crazy, she can continue to be crazy until she becomes a clear and present danger to herself and others. Collecting weird crap is crazy, but not dangerous. OTOH, being dangerous is not necessarily the result of being crazy. You have to meet both tests.
Now, if all that crap should *catch fire*, that would be dangerous.
Except that Brianna has to do EVERYTHING by the book on this one ... because she has more to lose than the average next door neighbor.
Probation works that way.
No, no, no...I mean if the OC crazy neighbor were to cause a fire with all of that crap in her house, she would probably be determined to be a threat to herself and others.
I wasn't suggesting that Bri commit arson, fer cryin' out loud. Although....nahhh.
Ah, *asterixes (sp?)*, not "quotes".
Probation works that way.
I'm off probation!
wolf is right, though. I don't want to get into any MORE trouble or look like I'm being crazy myself. I think I will just send a note asking her to remove it or point it at her own property and not mine. My son's father is concerned that she is videotaping our son--which seems creepy, as others here have pointed out. He might even write the note on my behalf as he works for the city we live in.
I'm off probation!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations!!
Thank you :)
It feels good not having to report to Carl! (though Carl was a very nice man)
tbh, I fast forwarded a lot of this thread... has anyone else put forward the idea of a parabolic mirror in line of sight of the CCTV camera?
Do it the Marine way. Kick her ass.
Or do it the Navy way, and call the Marines. Just joking, folks. Remain calm....
Semper Fi!
footfootfoot and lookout123, you two made me LOL for real.
Thanks, We're
just doing our job.
HEY! Speaking of crazy, couldn't you jsut find out her post office box number and shoot a staple gun into the lock?
Nah, forget it. That was just out there.
And finally, a camera on your house is better than a pox on your house.
i submit that you invest in 20 gallons of the cheapest milk you can find. wait until you can't be seen/identified then pour it all over her yard. heat + humidity + milk = barrels of fun. someone will certainly call the authorities about the horrid smell coming from her property. and unless the investigator has come across this particular prank they won't figure it out for quite a while.
Bri - your life seems to be filled with mucho drama.
How about ignoring the neighbor and just living your life? As long as you & yours aren't doing anything wrong, then let the old hag burn up her money watching you doing nothing.
I can think of a million different "revenge" ideas, but just like the rest of the ones presented they would only result in even more attention..... I'm assuming that's what you don't want???
*ding* We have a winner. My Bro-in-law lived next door to the "same person". He and the Mrs. just couldn't let it go and it escalated ugly. Your nutjob, having been a nitjob for a while, is going to be better at playing this game than you. Don't play.
I think I've indicated in earlier posts that I'm not planning on retaliation. When I first discovered the camera it was so disturbing that I wrote about it here.
Sorry for all the "drama"
Bri don't apologize, but don't let this nut run your life. If nothing else get an old camcorder at a garage sale and point it at her house, it don't matter if it works or not. I used this on a annoying neighbor in Laguna Beach, and it works.
I have had to deal with nut jobs from time to time and they always respond in a self destructive way. all you have to do is wait, and she will do it to herself.
Latex gloves, a slingshot , and some stinkbait. Wheweee.
Train your dog to bark at the camera. Especially at night.
Originally Posted by Brianna
I think I've indicated in earlier posts that I'm not planning on retaliation. When I first discovered the camera it was so disturbing that I wrote about it here.
Brianna, if you find your neighbor's actions disturbing enough to become proactive in seeking professional mediation to "bust" her behavior, this may interest you. It is a
loooooooong shot that requires you to use a camcorder (own, borrow, or rent one); but, could be well worth the effort. If you are lucky enough to be selected, you will have the opportunity to diligently "tell it like it is" about your neighbor on
national television! Be sure to include the web address to this thread in your online registration
Message.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. :cool:
i don't think any of us thought you were doing anything but venting. in the process of maintaining your sanity here, you gave some of us a lot of fun thinking of things to do that we [I]probably[I] wouldn't do IRL.
enjoy. vent. vandalize. strike the last one.
I feel so violated and there is NOTHING I can do about it!!
There is
always something you can do about it Bri. Many are often legal but a little strange.
Brainstorm a bit and I'm sure you can think of some things.
I am also a person of this legal harassment. I have a neighbor who has a camera on my entire house!! IT is SOOOOOOOO annoying and wrong!! I have seen his video..and it has my house one side to the next in it and he is video taping my children as well as myself and our neighbors. He has tried using the video against us and still nothing is wrong with it. He claims my children to be throwing rocks at his house when in reality my daughter is out in my drive eating peanuts and throwing the shells to the road..then another of my son throwing a rock up the street and giving it to the landlord stating we are doing something wrong..it took me a week to get her to see that and to dismiss the evidence he had against us..it is crazy!!!! He also used a video of my son retrieving a ball off his property claiming that it did damage to his house when in reality in the video it never even touched it. This guy is single and I find it rather strange that he would videotape my children..and apparently is trying to cause problems with it. I am for any idea of stopping this..I am sure there are other people with this problem out there. It needs to be STOPPED!!! I am with you as far as trying to remain legal on the fight against the cameras. But as to how far you can go without it becoming a legal battle is another sticky situation..but we should not go down without a fight!!!!!!!!!!!
Bri - I just had a thought.... tape up racy (but not entirely nude) posters of Carmen Electra & Pamela Anderson in your windows (facing outwards of course). If she's a prudish old bat then it just might make her knock it off.
If you are lucky she will stop looking out her windows all together! :)
If you are un-lucky, she will be knocking on your door with a big smile. Eeewww...
After much debate, my ex husband (who works for the city we live in) is going to POLITELY tell her that he feels very uncomfortable about her videotaping our son and would she please stop? He will offer to help her angle the camera so it will film her property and not mine. I really hope this works.
That sounds rational...so the biddy will probably reject it out of hand.
I hope it works.
Try one of these , it Will probley burn out the camera and/or the drapes !!!
http://wickedlasers.com/products.php?content=bspyderI just really does make me sick. All I can do is look at it and wonder if she is taping me. I can't even go lay out in the backyard now. I feel like a prisoner in my own house and it's perfectly legal and OK for her to do this.
And that is all feelings. Meanwhile, it means buglars will not find your house an easy target. Whether on tape or just humanly watched, either way, its still all in public. So what? Would you also avoid London for same reasons?
Ignore her. Know what she has done. But ignore her. Let her pay for your household security.
I still like the sign. Reasonable and truthful.
The sign idea is good except that there is an ordinance in the city about signs. The police will come and make you take them down.
She took the camera out of the window last night. Well, at least I can't see it anymore! Maybe my ex's talk with her did the trick.
[QUOTE=tw]And that is all feelings. Meanwhile, it means buglars will not find your house an easy target. Whether on tape or just humanly watched, either way, its still all in public. So what? Would you also avoid London for same reasons?
[QUOTE]
Cameras in London watch *everybody*, not just one residence and family. Bri's house and yard are not public places. London's streets are.
Since when did you become passive, TW? :)
I really enjoyed reading this thread and learned some new techniques!!
Welcome to the Cellar, somekind. Hope the neighbors stop bothering you.
Welcome to the Cellar, somekind. Hope the neighbors stop bothering you.
Thanks. I'm trying to deal with it. I live in a peaceful neighborhood that would be quiet if not for 15 neighbors with dogs that bark a lot.
I have been trying to document the problem by videotaping the offending dogs and uploading their barking to the internet. I want to know where the noise is coming from. It could be 2 dogs or 20 and I'd like to know.
Since there has been a duscussion about legality in this thread I'd like to pose some 'expectation of privacy' questions:
(I'm only taping dogs here; no people or inside of houses.)
Is it legal to videotape my neighbor's dog in it's yard from within my yard? I can easily see over the fence (5'). It barks a lot and is annoyingly cute and I have a lot of video of it now.
How about if the fence is taller than I am (6'1") and I stand on a stool or hold my camera over the fence? What if the fence is at the street and I am on the sidewalk holding the videocamera over the fence (I can peek at the LCD display). I'm only taping yard/dog.
I'm going to assume that any dog I can see from the street is fair game to videotape.
My neighbors' dogs bark at each other across my house. I often honk a bicycle horn with the dogs; sometimes it shuts them up (or gets the neighbor to). I'd like to come up with a noise maker to alert them that doesn't jeopardize me. I don't want to be cited for being a nuisance, so I thought about putting my weed whacker next to the dog-fence and running a 100ft cord to my bedroom. That way I can run it briefly when the dog starts barking. I know the neighbors hate that noise. Well, at 8 am on weekends, the barking is a pain, too.
I thought about starting the clarinet, but I'd rather something that takes less effort.
(I don't actually talk to the neighbors about the problem. I wouldn't expect them to react favorably).
Sometimes I just call the police and let them check it out (it's a violation of city code and the owner can be cited, especially if not home when the problem is occurring).
The problem:
I don't actually talk to the neighbors about the problem. I wouldn't expect them to react favorably.
Everything else is a symptom. I recommend treating the problem and not the symptom for the best chance for success.
ymmv
Since there has been a duscussion about legality in this thread I'd like to pose some 'expectation of privacy' questions:
(I'm only taping dogs here; no people or inside of houses.)
Is it legal to videotape my neighbor's dog in it's yard from within my yard? I can easily see over the fence (5'). It barks a lot and is annoyingly cute and I have a lot of video of it now.
How about if the fence is taller than I am (6'1") and I stand on a stool or hold my camera over the fence? What if the fence is at the street and I am on the sidewalk holding the videocamera over the fence (I can peek at the LCD display). I'm only taping yard/dog.
I'm going to assume that any dog I can see from the street is fair game to videotape.
IANAL. I believe it is fair to say that if you are on public property (i.e. a street, sidewalk, park, etc.) or on your own property, you can photograph whatever you can see legally with some limited exceptions (military installation, etc.). (This will not stop you from being hassled by cops who decide they don't like what you're doing, or by the olympic boxing gold medalist whose hot girlfried you just took a snapshot of.)
Note I said "you" are on public property. What you're taking a picture of does not have to be.
I don't know how this applies to video, as opposed to photos.
Won't hold water. If you are video taping the dog, and it can see you or even the camera, you're provoking it.
You have to prove the dog is barking without provocation.
I am also a person of this legal harassment. I have a neighbor who has a camera on my entire house!! IT is SOOOOOOOO annoying and wrong!! I have seen his video..and it has my house one side to the next in it and he is video taping my children as well as myself and our neighbors. He has tried using the video against us and still nothing is wrong with it. He claims my children to be throwing rocks at his house when in reality my daughter is out in my drive eating peanuts and throwing the shells to the road..then another of my son throwing a rock up the street and giving it to the landlord stating we are doing something wrong..it took me a week to get her to see that and to dismiss the evidence he had against us..it is crazy!!!! He also used a video of my son retrieving a ball off his property claiming that it did damage to his house when in reality in the video it never even touched it. This guy is single and I find it rather strange that he would videotape my children..and apparently is trying to cause problems with it. I am for any idea of stopping this..I am sure there are other people with this problem out there. It needs to be STOPPED!!! I am with you as far as trying to remain legal on the fight against the cameras. But as to how far you can go without it becoming a legal battle is another sticky situation..but we should not go down without a fight!!!!!!!!!!!
He is recording your children? Maybe you should have a chat to the local police. I don't know how the law works in your jurisdiction, but the filming of other people's children is not tolerated in many jurisdictions due to concerns about child pornography. If he was raided tomorrow, he may have a hard time justifying to the police why he has these recordings of your children. So if you approach it from the "child pornography" angle, it is more likely to be investigated than the more general "filming my house" approach.
Won't hold water. If you are video taping the dog, and it can see you or even the camera, you're provoking it.
You have to prove the dog is barking without provocation.
That's good and all, but I'm just trying to document my problem, not prove anything. The problem exists with or without me.
hows it going bri? anymore wacky taping going on or are you starting to feel comfortable again at home- i really hope you are.
sun
That's good and all, but I'm just trying to document my problem, not prove anything. The problem exists with or without me.
Document it for whom? You don't need to be convinced and anyone else you try to convince with the tapes, should tell you the same thing I did.
Document it for whom? You don't need to be convinced and anyone else you try to convince with the tapes, should tell you the same thing I did.
I uploaded the barking dog videos to youTube, so I guess I'm documenting them for the world to see. Some of the videos show dogs barking at the camera; they'll bark at anything they see. Regardless, it's a violation of city code to allow a dog to bark for extended periods for any reason.
Other dogs I was able to video tape without being seen, so the dogs are barking at something else.
Any dog owner who lets their dog bark will make the same accusation; but I'm not out provoking dogs. I'm just trying to enjoy some peace and quiet.
#1. Make a trip to your local city hall and check out YOUR city ordianances regarding barking, (and videotaping) They are likely online, ours are.
#2 Take the information regarding barking/noise pollution to your neighbors and talk to them, with that info in hand. Give them a copy! Document the date and what was said to each.
That way, when you make formal complaints to the police etc, you have a record of what was said and when, and that the neighbors have a copy of the ordinances and can't claim ignorance of the problem.
Good luck, let us know how it turns out.
Thanks for the recommendation. I don't confront people about stuff like this, they're likely to 'explode'.
Sometimes I just call the police. If they show up and the neighbor is out and the dog is still barking, that is proof enough.
I should think they are much more likely to explode when they find out you've sicced the cops on them than just telling them their dog is annoying you.
I also think you're setting yourself up for some serious backlash.
I seriously sympathize with you because I had a neighbor that would let his dog bark for 8 hrs straight. I'm not kidding, that sumbitch would not stop for more than a minute in 8 hours.
I am also a person of this legal harassment. I have a neighbor who has a camera on my entire house!! IT is SOOOOOOOO annoying and wrong!! I have seen his video..and it has my house one side to the next in it and he is video taping my children as well as myself and our neighbors. He has tried using the video against us and still nothing is wrong with it. He claims my children to be throwing rocks at his house when in reality my daughter is out in my drive eating peanuts and throwing the shells to the road..then another of my son throwing a rock up the street and giving it to the landlord stating we are doing something wrong..it took me a week to get her to see that and to dismiss the evidence he had against us..it is crazy!!!! He also used a video of my son retrieving a ball off his property claiming that it did damage to his house when in reality in the video it never even touched it. This guy is single and I find it rather strange that he would videotape my children..and apparently is trying to cause problems with it. I am for any idea of stopping this..I am sure there are other people with this problem out there. It needs to be STOPPED!!! I am with you as far as trying to remain legal on the fight against the cameras. But as to how far you can go without it becoming a legal battle is another sticky situation..but we should not go down without a fight!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a similar problem we have lived here and owned our house for 6 yrs. We have a couple that live next to us that are in there 70's and there 50 yr old son still lives with them we have gotton along in the past and when we moved in the old owners said they were a VERY strange family but have only recently found out why nobody in the neighborhood like them! They have at least 6 vidoe cameras outside there house up high and only recently they face all parts of our yard! The police say that they can do this. We have other neighbors that have moved because of this and everyone calls the cops on them but nothing ever happens to them! We have gotten several warnings for noise and threatened we need to get along with them but we have tried. They play this annoying elevator music through a loud speaker and when anyone calls the cops they have a scanner so they shut it off. I have several meeting with the chief of police and nothing has been done except till now. We just recieved a $205.00 fine for unnesecary noise for my husband working an his motorcycle in the garage, so we are now fighting that why they can continue taking pictures of us in our yard and standing in there front yard with a hand video camera filming us and our small children so just to dive into a little this isn't even half of it but I'll be damned if were moving!!!!
Welcome to the Cellar, meltramel. :D
I sure there are lawyers out there that could give us a handle on the legalities here. It may vary from state to state, though.
I wonder how bright an infrared light or how strong a laser is necessary to take out a camera?
Thank you, I really hate to stoop to there level and start calling the cops for everything they do thats such a waste of the taxpayers money . I just called to talk to the chief of police whos my step fathers friend and he says my hands are tied they have to respond to every call and its perfectly legal for them to video tape us, which how do I know what they do with the videos of my children jumping on the trampoline! They are just not all together up there! I think there may be some inbreading.....J/K. So now we are going to take there pics and start video taping them in there garden and making any ind of noise. I cringe just thinking its not even summer yet!:thepain:
You need a high wall like the green monster in Boston. Or a sailboat parked along the line ....with the sails up. If the wind is right, a smoke machine would work.
Still think a laser in the lens would work.
No Pictures Please: Researchers Develop System to Thwart Unwanted Video and Still Photography
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have completed a prototype device that can block digital-camera function in a given area. Commercial versions of the technology could be used to stymie unwanted use of video or still cameras.
I really like the wall idea or maybe just a dome over my house to shield nosy neighbors! The video camera's they use tape on a video tape in the house so do u think they would see us do that lazer on tape before it actually goes out? I seen someone post a nude streaker love that idea maybe I could get someone to do that and then they would need to be hospitalized for heart failure or something!! Thats the mean side of me coming out again! I could never do anything to harm them or there property, even though why should I care! Even if we would put up a privacy fence it would help when they were outside but there cameras are up really high so nothing would help! I wish I could get a petition to stop neighbors from doing this I don't know how this can be legal......
in all cases I'm going for the ninja-vandal idea... or doing something so outrageously silly on a regular basis that they can't call the cops... guys in 'greys' suits bbq'uing ... I'd love if the neighbors tried something like that.. it'd give me something to focus my twisted sense of humour on.. especially in that arena.
Dude.
I think it will look like "la la la WOWTHATSABRIGHTLI..." bye bye camera. You ever accidentally look into a flashlight beam? That's what the camera will see. Maybe the last thing that camera will see.
Sit on your picnic table and clean your guns, sharpen knives and apply camo makeup. Then just before dark go inside and don't show any visible lights for the rest of the evening.
Rinse, repeat.