Need advice on overt vs covert security camera system?

[dk1000 0]

I need security camera advice. I'm looking for the best way to document suspected drug traffic in and out of the driveway of the house next door to me so I can hopefully have proof and be able to furnish photos and/or video to the police when I feel I have enough evidence. So far I have been trying to "sneakily" shoot pictures with a camera phone thru blinds to get a pic of the car whenever I hear one pull up, and write down the license plate number which often doesn't come thru clearly. This method is too much of a hassle in always having to be there, get up and sneakily take the pic each time I hear something, many times a day, and harder to shoot a pic of any people due to the risk of them seeing me. I put "one way" film on the couple small windows on my front inner door, and now shoot thru that during the day, but that lessens resolution even more and there's still the hassle of stopping what you're doing at the moment, and attending to take the pics.

 

I know there's Swann and Foscam systems with a DVR and 4 cameras with IR to install around the house. Would really like to use the IR option for night, and feel I would need the stronger 65 foot IR (Swann Pro-580) option over the 33 foot camera (Swann ADS-180) to make sure I get decent video, or at least the 50 foot IR (Swann Pro-550 in the SWDVK-425504-S package on Amazon, my good neighbors on the other side just ordered this one, they're concerned too, so maybe get a package to match?) . Where I live, all the lots are 40 feet wide, and the houses take up about 30 feet of that width, and the driveway and a thin side patch of lawn about 10 feet.

 

Am I better off at this point to just use some kind of hidden camera mounted behind a window linking to my computer with motion detect software vs. installing a camera package with IR on the house, as putting that up now will draw the suspected drug neighbor's suspicions, and they'll know who to blame if they get busted? I don't feel like getting shot! I do realize, no IR from inside, and a camera so small, like a mini-camera to be hidden would need a window open if it had an IR function. Again, I feel I would need the 1 way film so they don't discover it, so there again, daytime only, but at least it will be hopefully doing something during that time. At least where I live, it will be light past 9pm soon, and much of the activity seems late afternoon till before midnight. I will also have the sun hitting from directly across the street (west) all later afternoon until it sets. I'm on the east side of a north/south running street. I am on disability, and so a fixed income, and also turning 60 years old, so mounting cameras on the house will be tough without outside help.

 

I attached a couple pics, with addresses blacked out, mine is the house with the red dormer, and the suspect house is to the left, with the front deck. On the first pic, shows the side of my house facing the suspect's house, and the window closest to the street is a livingroom side window, and the further back one is a bedroom side window, and there is an upstairs window, but I doubt any of those would be really usuable for an inside camera due to the extreme 90+ degree out angle I would need to set the camera up as. Maybe the front window closest to them, my living room only has a regular window there, not a "picture window". Also I plan on putting some kind of foam in the 2 downstairs windows due to all the noise. cars pulling up several times a day and beep their horns to get the people's attention, car doors slamming and loud ghetto talk.

 

The third pic: shows kind of the view I want, there is 2 cars there mow and that pickup pulling out ran over the edge of my lawn again when it pulled in, you can see the mud. Plus it comes several times a day and the sleazebag lays on the horn to get the people's attention that he's there. A low-life. This one was taken behind the 1 way film.

 

I used the Google Maps images here, and believe me, that house and driveway is not empty as it looks here, always some cars in the driveway, and people in or around the house, so again, to me, intsalling anything they can see may be risky on my part. So I need honest opinions if I should go with the outside mountings or do hidden inside, and would be thankful for advice on either scenerio on keeping myself safe. Thank you.

[Q2U 0]

Cameras may not be the way to go. Have you, and your neighbor, visited the local police station and asked the police for their advice?

 

IMO, the best location is a top of the line camera in a 2nd floor (or attic) window DIRECTLY across the street from the suspect house. It could be mounted in such a way so that no one in the suspect house would ever see it. I'm thinking of a $2,000.00 camera controlled by good software like Blue Iris.

 

In situation like these you should consult a professional. You're not going to get very good clarity form Costco or Amazon "package deals."

 

On the other hand, sometimes neighbors just need to man up and demonstrate that some folks just aren't welcome in the neighborhood.

 

Or take a collection and pay them to leave.

[bigglebowski 0]

Do the deals go down in the driveway or inside his house? Doesnt seem like it would be evidence if you just see them go in the house and leave. Have you consulted police whether they would want this kind of evidence? Seems like if it was clear evidence and he would be tried on it, wouldnt his lawyer get to see it and then he would be obvious that it came from your yard/house.

[dk1000 0]

Thanks much Q2U and bigglebowski, I was just told pretty much the same on the other forum I posted the same tom to let the authorities handle it. Guess all I can do then is furnish license plate numbers and tell the authorities there is mucho traffic in and out and seems suspicious. As far as mounting cameras from a house across the street, all the houses have people living in them. I did see what I thought was a deal in the driveway, but most do go inside. Then maybe some type of camera to monitor my OWN house since the neighborhood is starting to get bad? At least I would hopefully have proof of somone messing around when I'm not home - if so, what is recommended as far as cameras? Thanks again.