janiegh

i know its something you dont want to hear but there was TWO systems. it says that in the case files. here is the video of each system. look at bottom corner. the text shows they are not from the same DVR. I understand what you're saying. If there are 2 systems each system would have its own recorder. So, on either one of the recorders, I assume it would be possible to isolate footage and make a separate video.

If there was a system of covert cameras in the hotel, I assume that the video from those cameras would be recorded on a DVR someplace in the hotel. If one of the videos captured someone involved in criminal activity, I suppose it would be possible to isolate the footage that showed the criminal activity and to put those segments on a separate video. Is this correct?

Good point - we don't. We know if there were other cameras in the hotel room itself, for that matter. We only know about the ones we're told about by the articles and book. For all we know, in fact, that box could be a decoy itself, to distract attention from another nearby covert camera. It's possible. But there was a regular 16 camera CCTV system installed in the hotel and a monitor at the front desk that showed all 16 screens at the same time. Wouldn't this system cover all the hallways. Why would it be necessary to have a covert system in the hallways?

According to a DeTelegraaf article, this was the only camera of its kind in the hallways. The diagram may be a bit deceptive as the hallway also goes to the left. You can see that in the photo that shows the box on the wall to the left of the door.

I've had some good responses to my questions from some members of this board. I appreciate that. Here's a good link I found about how board cameras work: http://www.spycamerasetc.com/faq.html

You obviously know very little about the case.

I don't know where you are getting some of this information. I'm not posting on this board to discuss guilt or innocence in the case. I'm just looking for some facts about the surveillance cameras. Just personal curiosity. Nothing sinister.

If you mean a floor plan of the hotel, no I don't have anything like that. I'll attach a diagram of the hotel room. Note that the covert camera outside the door is marked. I have a picture of the front of the hotel which might give an idea about how the rooms are arranged if you'd like to see that. Another piece of information---This may have been planned as a short term surveillance, as little as 6 hours, probably not longer than 24 hours.

This is a picture that shows the hotel room door. The white box with the covert camera in it is to the left of the door on the overhang. (Blue arrow points to the box.)

Good assumption. And given the nature of our business, we're obviously cautious when people start asking how to tamper with equipment used to put away criminals. I'll play the guessing though. Let's assume it is, in fact, a covert camera. The covert camera is a custom job, no way of knowing the exact equipment inside of it. To take the cover off it's simply 4 screws, possibly 4 tamper resistant screws but doubtful. Why are you asking about this? Do you think someone tampered with it? I assume the box has since been removed? Do you have access to it? What was the box mounted too? Does it look like conduit could be stubbed into the back of the box with wires running elsewhere? I can't tell if it's on a door header or what. A highly portable covert camera set up easily moved to focus on a single persons door would most likely have power and recording ability inside of it, which could be why there's such a large box. If you want to speculate who put the camera there, if it was someone, like lets say the FBI, the camera would be a whole lot more covert than a 12x12 box mounted to a wall. If the hotel owns (or leases) the camera, even if it's not connected back to their main security system, it's still apart of their security system. To speculate on the equipment used: The camera in the picture you showed us is also named Camera 2. If there are two cameras in the box, it's probably connected to a small DVR instead of recording to SD cards. I'd be very surprised if the thing was wireless. We often use board cameras (for a randomly googled example, a board camera is something like this: http://www.huntcctv.com/p-bc-htc-2h6.asp ), which we mount in a small box with a hole in it, and tinted lexan covers the hole. The camera is mounted behind the lexan so it's protected. I don't do covert cameras, but we sometimes use this set up for gate pedestals with cameras, intercoms, card readers, etc. I should also note since it's such a deep box, a normal cctv camera might be mounted in it too. To meet the requirements of highly portable, some type of power supply running off of batteries would need to be in the can powering the camera and the recording device. If there are no batteries, then it'd need to be plugged in somewhere, but I didn't see any cords (unless they're coming in through the back). Anyone else want to give it a go? Could camera 2 be recording to an SD Card? Would an analog camera record it like that unless it's connected to a small DVR? I don't have access to anything except photos and videos from media reports. And the book about the case. There is a picture that shows the box hanging on a wall overhang outside the hotel room door. After looking at this again, I think the box is smaller than my original estimate. It may be more like 8x8 or 6x6. (I'll post this picture later today.) My guess is that some outside party arranged with the hotel owner to install this camera. It may have been the journalist (or someone like him) who had been following JVS around the world trying to videotape him making a confession in the Holloway case. For that reason I think there probably was a second camera inside the hotel room at some point which was removed before the police arrived. I also tend to think that the video from the covert camera outside the door may have been edited before it was given to police. Would that be possible if an SD card was used?

thats right ..... public CCTV will be displayed...... but covert for staff reasons would not be. if you look at each footage at least 3 of the public footage has white time stamp ..... the 2 covert have yellow time stamp..... your just looking at two systems. There was only one covert camera in the hotel that has been identified and it was focused on Van Der Sloot's door. It had nothing to do with monitoring of the hotel staff. There may have been a second covert camera inside the room; but no one has ever provided video footage from that one.

This is a good part of the reason why I didn't identify the case. Anyone who has heard about it from media reports assumes that he is guilty of all the terrible things he has been accused of. I think it's a lot more complicated than that. In the Flores case, it was claimed by the media that this covert video camera was a part of the hotel CCTV system. That obviously is not true. There was a monitor in the hotel lobby showing screens for the 16 camera hotel security system. This covert camera was placed specifically to monitor his door. Who put it there and why is a big question. Who retrieved the video from the camera and gave it to the police? Could the video have been altered before the police received it? Lots of questions. I'm really not interested in discussing the case itself. There are lots of forums for discussions about that. I am just trying to find some factual information about the covert video camera.

Since there seems to be a lot of curiosity about which case it is, here's the answer. It's about the Stephany Flores murder in Peru. Joran van der Sloot has recently been sentenced to a 28 year prison sentence for the murder. The most significant piece of evidence against him is the video from this covert camera. Most people who know about this case have very strong opinions about it. And I was looking for some unbiased opinions. The name of the book is Portrait of a Monster which gives you a pretty good idea about the public perception of the case.

Quote from Notorious BRK: Recording could be done within the camera itself (SD card), to a small mini DVR or NVR device installed in the same enclosure as the camera, to a DVR/NVR that is near the camera (tossed up in the drop ceiling is common), or to a remote recording device carried as an analog or IP signal. In several of the cases I've been involved with if an IP camera is used it is kept completely off any normal networks to prevent it from being accidentally discovered or tampered with. Can you tell from this picture, taken from the video, what type of recording device was used with the covert camera? Or could it have been any one of the types you mentioned above? How difficult would it be to open the junction box that had the camera inside? Would it just snap open?

Thanks for the reply. This is helpful. This is just a matter of personal curiosity about a criminal case which was covered on TV. I've been reading a book about the case. The video from the camera in question figured heavily in the conviction of this person. The time on this camera was 12 minutes behind the hotel system CCTV camera time. It apparently was rigged to spy on this particular person. It was right outside his room and focused on the door. I assume that it was monitored from someone's computer as it was not a part of the hotel's regular security system.