US dashcam legality

qwe123

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I had a few questions regarding whether dashcams are legal in Maryland. I heard that there was a law that you couldn't record other peoples conversations without their permission. So if a cop pulled you over would you be required to tell them that they are being recorded? Also, is there any specific legislation in this state regarding dash cams and where they must be placed?
 
While not specifically about dash cams you may find this related article of interest as it addresses certain of your concerns....In Spite of State Law, Maryland Law Enforcement Officials Still Arresting, Charging People for Recording Cops.

Here is a video about the Anthony Graber case discussed in the article.


Maryland's Motor Vehicle Statutes regarding windshield obstruction seem to be vague. It would depend on how strictly local juristictions enforce the law. In my state, windshield obstructions are technically illegal but no one I know of with a GPS, satellite radio, toll transponder or dash cam has ever been cited to the best of my knowledge.
 
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Update on Anthony Graber, On September 27, 2010, criminal charges against Graber were dropped. The court threw out the charge of "recording illegal activity" on the grounds that the law was unconstitutional, noting that "the video taping of public events is protected under the First Amendment."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Graber
 
Yet 2 years later, Mayland police were still trying to pull the same trick. No telling when a really bad cop might just rip the dashcam off the windshield and throw it into the woods. Jokiin, when is your new multichannel remote DVR going to hit the market? Perhaps talk to your engineers about a wifi remote storage option as well, since flash memory is relatively cheap nowadays.

http://wecopwatch.org/copwatchers-charges-dropped-in-maryland-case/

KuoH

Update on Anthony Graber, On September 27, 2010, criminal charges against Graber were dropped.
 
Update on Anthony Graber, On September 27, 2010, criminal charges against Graber were dropped. The court threw out the charge of "recording illegal activity" on the grounds that the law was unconstitutional, noting that "the video taping of public events is protected under the First Amendment."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Graber

It is interesting how the MSM (Main Stream Media) tends to focus more on events such as Anthony Graber's dramatic arrest and forceful prosecution far more than the legal outcome that comes later. The author of the article I linked seems to have done an excellent job in his legal analysis of the case, conclusion regarding the arrest's unconstitutionality and prediction of the court's eventual ruling.
 
This is what I am looking for!

they're coming, the design may get updated further but currently the cameras are about half the size of a Mobius

I know of another in development as well which also has nice small cameras and should be a good end result
 
Law enforcement and government officials have to assume that they are being recorded and/or photographed while on the line of duty. As long as it doesn't intrude with their work, it's not illegal to record them. Of course you'll get those cops that don't exactly follow the rules and try to scare people by saying it's not legal and all that shenanigans. If your dash cam can record audio, some states require a sign or sticker posted on your car telling passengers that their conversations may be recorded.
 
Law enforcement and government officials must assume they're being recorded while on the line of duty. If it doesn't interfere with their work, it's not illegal. Some states require that if your dash cam records audio, you must have a sign or sticker on your vehicle to indicate to your passengers that their conversation may be recorded
 
they're coming, the design may get updated further but currently the cameras are about half the size of a Mobius

I know of another in development as well which also has nice small cameras and should be a good end result

This would be what I'm interested in. If there could be some way to make a dashcam to record remotely or save via wifi so that someone couldn't delete the movies by stealing the camera. Also, something that could be small enough and discrete enough that it can't be noticed so that issues such as this don't come up would be good. Jokiin is there a name yet for the model, the one that is half the size of the Mobius?
 
Here in PA, it's legal to record video with no warning. However, if a person is in range of the mic, you must inform them that they are being recorded. I was pulled over recently and was about to tell the officer that I was recording the conversation but did not get the chance. I rolled down the window and she said that she pulled me over in error, apologized, then walked back to her car before I could say a word.

my dash cam is mostly mounted in front of my rear view mirror and does not obstruct my view any more that the rear view mirror itself.
 
dual remote cam with hideaway box models are in development now

they're coming, the design may get updated further but currently the cameras are about half the size of a Mobius

I know of another in development as well which also has nice small cameras and should be a good end result

No names as yet, I think you'll see them in the market before too long though

Exactly what I have been looking for. Anything bigger it just an open invitation for thief's to break in and steal. Even the ring left by a suction cup mount, has been enough for thief's to break in looking for a hidden GPS display. Everything needs to be small and hard to see. I hope to see your remote dashcam on the market soon.
 
Exactly what I have been looking for. Anything bigger it just an open invitation for thief's to break in and steal. Even the ring left by a suction cup mount, has been enough for thief's to break in looking for a hidden GPS display. Everything needs to be small and hard to see. I hope to see your remote dashcam on the market soon.

We agree, and expect to carry new products in the near future that are as stealth as possible.
The long hanging big-boxy shaped cams are what I like to call "smash and grab friendly"
The western market doesn't want bling or big, they want stealthy out of site set it and forget it quality.
 
We agree, and expect to carry new products in the near future that are as stealth as possible.
The long hanging big-boxy shaped cams are what I like to call "smash and grab friendly"
The western market doesn't want bling or big, they want stealthy out of site set it and forget it quality.
All I can say is "Bring It On" America is waiting and so am I.

I hope I didn't hijack this thread to much, just been searching for a while and this is the first thread I found with retailers promising solution's for the US market soon. I am eagerly waiting to find out more and get my hands on a couple of these dashcams.
Thanks.
 
I am hoping for an update on the cams in development mentioned above. Is there any expected delivery date range yet?

The super small size sounds great.

I personally like the idea of 3 cameras perhaps in one unit. Each camera lens would need to be physically independent from the rest. I want one pointed up front, one out back, and one watching the cop by my door who just pulled me over.

Perhaps just one unit that records 3 separate inputs?

If possible, a secondary sd card could be recording away the the primary unit so it could not be taken away? Stealth could be a secondary hidden receiver with a sd card recording via bluetooth or other wireless means what the main recorder is capturing.
 
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dual remote cam with hideaway box models are in development now

they're coming, the design may get updated further but currently the cameras are about half the size of a Mobius

I know of another in development as well which also has nice small cameras and should be a good end result

Anything further on this development? I'm planning on what to do if (when?) my G1W-H dies.
 
Still working on it, we just this week got support for up to 512GB memory, that's probably not cost effective just yet but large card support is obviously desirable when there's two full HD streams to capture

Maybe we'll see this sorted and ready to go Q1 next year, lots to do still
 
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