Dashcams

ok so I do have some weblinks to explore, but your personal advise as always is welcome

* I want to get a dashcam for my car, any recomendations OR suppliers in the Miss. area or general GTA ?

Question

If I'm in an accident and say police attend, if I say (lets say it's not my fault) hey I have dashcam footage.

would they confiscate it because it's potential evidence.

I'd want to view any footage first to make sure it doesn't incriminate me

or is it best to keep "stchoom" and not say anything and then bring it up later

THANKS

I recommend taking a look at the G1W, there are a few variants G1W-C (capacitor), G1WH (wider lens).

For the relatively cheap price of ~$40 it shoots really good day & night videos.

My day time capture, sorry for the radio-music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v_2eRbZR-Q

It takes about 2-3 weeks to ship. I would also be careful, purchase it from a reputable seller there are a few places that are selling knockoffs at a similar price.

I have two, and they're mounted to both our vehicles. I ran the wire similar to this video through the side panels and glove compartment, and fished the excess into the overhead. I'm using the cigarette lighter port. There are videos online where people are using some advanced setups, tapping directly into the car's electrics (front reading light). You can definitely play around with that.

When I looked for a dashcam, I was mostly interested in whether it can cope with our cold winters and hot summers. After 2 years of using them, I've yet to have any issues, and one of the cars is kept outside all year long. Finding a dashcam with a wider lens is also better, because it captures a lot more of the road.

https://dashcamtalk.com is the authority when it comes to dashcams, take a look through there.

I like the double-camera 4SK606 by "The Original Dashcam" company. You can point one ahead the other either behind or at you.

Their website is at getdashcam dot com

I'm also using the G1W. It's cheap, the reviews are almost always positive, and it's popular. There are plenty of threads and videos discussing this camera, so you don't have to worry too much about buying the unknown.

thanks guys

what about police confiscating for evidence?

I am not sure if they can do that or not... good question. However personally I would probably not mention it until after the fact... make sure it does not show you guilty of anything first and then a couple days later (after you have made copies) contact officer and be like "oh yeah, by the way I have some video of the incident".

In most cases when there are two or more vehicles involved, then the other driver(s) are the witnesses so the video is hopefully proof that you are NOT guilty of something, and might be good to have to show your insurance company as well that you were not at fault.

Source: http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/sh ... ost2315416

Law enforcement members here can probably better answer this question. I did find an answer elsewhere from a Traffic Motorcycle OPP Officer who patrols the Greater Toronto Area corridor.

Bike Cop wrote:

I think you're on the right track. You've already called the recording what it is, evidence. The first question I would ask is, "what is it evidence of?" ie. provincial offence, or a criminal offence. Next is, does the 'evidence' on the recording device exist anywhere else, or is it the only source? If it is the only source for that particular evidence, then it is an exigent circumstance that it be seized immediately, to save it from being discarded or deleted.

Anything that is seized without a warrant is subject to a document called a report to a Justice, where an officer must declare before a Justice of the Peace that he seized something without a warrant, and thereby request permission to hold onto the item for a determined amount of time. If that is granted, the officer must write a search warrant to obtain the actual data from the device, whether it's a recording, or GPS data, etc.

The search warrant must answer three specific questions:

1) What is the alleged offence?

2) Where is the device?

3) Will searching the device produce evidence of the offence listed in #1?

If the warrant is granted, the device can be searched (forensically), and the evidence contained within can be used in court. From this point on, the evidence as well as the warrant itself can be cross-examined.

To answer your questions, yes this has been done before. It can produce some spectacular evidence, which in my experience has been the difference between a lengthy trial and a guilty plea. If the device contains evidence, and there is a risk that it could be lost if the officer lets you leave with it, there is a high probability that it's going to be seized, without your permission. But as mentioned, a warrant is required to view the evidence (as a result of a search).

Fun story: I seized a GPS unit from a vehicle where the driver was arrested for impaired driving. The GPS showed his speed to be 186.4km/h seconds prior to the traffic stop. It was a lot of paperwork, but I would rather spend a day writing a warrant, than spend the day being grilled on the stand in court.

I have both our cars kitted out with "rearview mirror" style dashcam;

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-HD-1080P-Das ... 1257958888

(Link provided as an example - not recommending this device or seller specifically)

One version we use is purely a front facing camera, the second actually has a second camera facing rearward in the back window as well as the built-in front facing camera. The reason we use these models is that they are less intrusive (not being suction cupped to the windshield like so many other cameras out there) AND that they are not obviously expensive pieces of consumer electronics left visibly in our vehicles while unattended (no one wants their car smashed into).

Both cameras record about 5 hours of audio/video in 10 minute blocks and then record over the oldest blocks when space runs out. Each car has a spare micro SD card so that if there is a collision the recording can be removed (although the cameras each have the capability to "lock" a recording, preventing it from being over written.

I would say that the police may or may not seize your dashcam (or the recording media in it) depending on the seriousness of the incident, and whether or not they are aware of the fact that your vehicle is equipped with a dashcam. Whether you are obligated to advise them of the recording is a different question - my concern with having the footage seized at the scene is that it may impede your ability to provide a copy of the video to your insurance company, and in the case of disputed details that footage may be your only chance at having fault applied correctly.

Wiser people than me can answer that question for you.