Open carrier needs recording device

[BB62]

I am an open carrier at times here in the backward state of Ohio. Last year I was accosted by 3 police officers, at gunpoint, while doing so. No charges were filed. (It is a long story, which I posted to GlockTalk)

Here is a link: http://tinyurl.com/6vgay

Rather than try and hijack another thread on the subject of open carry or confiscated weapons (which generated an enormous amount of interest, fire and brimstone), may I ask the following question here:

Does anyone know of a small audio & video device I could purchase to attach to myself while openly carrying? Knowing of the lengths to which some Ohio anti's will go makes me wonder if I ought to go to greater lengths to document my armed exercise walks in case false statements were made.

I would appreciate serious responses, not another "Right on, bro!" or "You're crazy" thread.

Thanks much.


BB62

 

[Sindawe]

Just thinking off the top of my head here, you may need a rig with a seperate camera/audio pickup and recording base unit. Maybe about the size of a paperback or big PDA, something like this:

http://www.tral.ru/en/

And a camera/audio set from these guys.

http://www.spyworld.com/Covert-Video.htm


Interesting idea BB62, I'm suprised we are'nt seeing this on LEOs. Might help them out immensly with training situtions and legal issues. Specially if they all feed back to a central storage environment held by a neutral party. Hmmm.......

You will want to check out the local/state laws on recording conversations and the like. IIRC some municipalites require two party conset, some only one. This is what tripped up Linda Tripp during the Clintion/Monica days.

Creepy/bothersome story about your run-in with LEOs in Ohio. I grew up in that part of the state, and while I was most distressed when my family moved to Colorado in 1975, I'm darn glad now that we did. Pretty country, but a bit lacking for snowboarding.

 

[Wildalaska]

No offense but what kind of life do you want? Wiring yourself for sound just in case you get stopped while flaunting a gun....

Sometimes......


WildwhateverAlaska

 

[spartacus2002]

Go get a small dictaphone cassette recorder at Radio Shack. I carried one when I was going thru custody battle. Was about the size of a 1911 mag. Every time I went to my ex-wife's door to pick up or drop off the kid, I had it in my jeans pocket turned on, to record their screaming and cussing.

At court, her and her mom claimed I was making threats and that they were sweet as pie. My lawyer played the tapes for the judge.

Victory tastes very, very sweet....

THe nice thing was that it recorded just fine, even stuffed into a pants pocket.

 

[BB62]

Yes, I have a pocket audio recorder - but I want to have video capability too.

I put nothing by the anti's considering the stories I've heard.


BB62

 

[Pilgrim]

Some states have some ridiculous laws prohibiting this kind of recording that you suggest. Be sure you know Ohio's laws before recording an exchange with an officer. To be legal you may have to announce you are recording the exchange.

Pilgrim

 

[whm1974]

To be legal you may have to announce you are recording the exchange.

This is almost everywhere... To be Honest with you, cops may not try anything if they know that they are being recorded.

-Bill

 

[sendec]

"Cops may not try anything....."

It is rapidly becoming the norm that LEOs have in car video and audio and that they wear wireless mikes, so that THEY can record the contact. After a lot of initial resistance, many have realized that this is a good thing that has quashed any number of bogus complaints about us "trying things"

I was recorded by citizens on several occasions I knew of and I am certain on some I did not. Usually when I spotted the recorder I told them just to take it out of concealment and hold it up at head level, the recording quality would be better.

Anywho, if you want to live the life of a paranoid whacko, I'd recommend the Panasonic line of surveillance recorders which work far better than the cheezy ones you get from Radio Shack but do not cost a gazillion bucks like a body wire does. Mine would fit in a hat or a pack of cigarettes and could pick up flatulence from a fly, sorry, I dont know the model number.

I just hope that the crinkling sound of all the tin foil doesnt ruin the recording.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Problem is, IF you are arrested, your recording device will be consfiscated and any incriminating evidence agains the cops will be "lost".

On my way to the store for more Reynolds wrap. Back later.

 

[BB62]

Sendec,

Are the Panasonic recorders you mentioned for VIDEO recording?

I'm not worried about the cops - does no one read anymore? - I am concerned about the die-hard antis out there who would think nothing of swearing out a complaint that I was grasping for or waving my sidearm around.


BB62

 

[Ironbarr]

Wildalaska...

"flaunting"?

 

[sendec]

Sorry, I was refering to audio recorders. For on-person video you'll wind up spending at least $1,000 up for anything of any quality. You'll aslo need to restrict your movements to withing a couple hundred feet of a recorder and receiver.

I do a real careful needs assessment before I shelled out that kinda money.....

 

[IRONFIST]

I too am curious about the word "flaunting". If a citizen is legally able to openly carry his/her PDW and is not acting in a provocative or unsafe manner, how can that be construed as "flaunting"? I personally would like to see more open carrying by the upstanding members of our population to reinforce the truth to the sheeple that not everyone who carries a gun is a bad guy or a cop. If the term "flaunting" is used to describe a citizen who is openly carrying and exercising his second-ammendment rights, would that mean that when he buys and reads a newspaper he is "flaunting" his first-ammendment rights? I don't believe that that was what WildAlaska intended to infer, and will give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Wildalaska]

Yep flaunting..I ve made my position on open carry in non outdoors environments (read farms, wilderness etc) perfectly clear over and over..I think its wrong both tactically and in terms of the impression we are trying to make.

Abused open carry is gonna screw it up for the rest of us.


WildflauntflauntAlaska

 

[Ironbarr]

From American Heritage and others.

flaunt ( P ) Pronunciation Key (flônt)
v. flaunt·ed, flaunt·ing, flaunts
v. tr.
To exhibit ostentatiously or shamelessly: flaunts his knowledge. To show contempt for; scorn.

v. intr.
To parade oneself ostentatiously; show oneself off.
To wave grandly: pennants flaunting in the wind.


flaunting

n : the act of displaying something ostentatiously; "his behavior was an outrageous flaunt" [syn: flaunt]

I guess it was just semantics - happens all the time with me.

-Andy

 

[Ironbarr]

Hmmm... I recind my sideways apology.

As for "the rest of us" - if "the rest of us" would participate in open carry (wherever available, of course) may we wouldn't be in this thread needling each other.

Oh well.

 

[BB62]

Okay, now we're into the good/bad discussion - which has been beaten to death all over THR... <sigh>

Does anyone else have any other suggestions for equipment to do what I am looking to do?


Thx,
BB62

 

[Treylis]

Abused open carry is gonna screw it up for the rest of us.

Remember, don't use those pesky rights, because somebody might just take them away!

I'd be a lot more sympathetic to that position if more states allowed legal adults and not just 21/23/25-year-olds to carry concealed or carry without a permit. Almost everywhere, if you're under 21, it's either going to be open or illegal.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

This is almost everywhere... To be Honest with you, cops may not try anything if they know that they are being recorded.

Nope. This is almost nowhere. What IS illegal in some jurisdictions is recording a telephone conversation without the other party's knowledge. Even with phone conversations, though, in some jusrisdictions it is legal as long as ONE of the parties has consented to the recoring. If you are one of the parties and you're doing thr recording, you're good to go.

I am not aware of anywhere in the U.S. where it is illegal for one person to record a conversation between him/herself and another individual(s) -- ignoring for the moment the possibility of prohibitions applying to secure areas of facilities and the like, which are not the subject of the question.

Standard disclaimer: IANAL.

 

[Zundfolge]

To be legal you may have to announce you are recording the exchange.

Wonder if you could just get a T-Shirt that says something like "I'm Videotaping this entire encounter" if that would be enough to constitute "announcing" you're recording

 

[Warren]

How about something like this?


A little spendy, but you might be able to upload the video to the web in realtime so even if the unit is lost or damaged you would still have a record of what occured prior to the loss.





Note: I am not endorsing this particular phone or any phone, just throwing out an idea.

 

[BB62]

The phone is a VERY interesting idea, but I seriously doubt that it has 30-60 minute capacity. An 512K SD memory card that would hold that much video costs about $150...

But, as I said, a very interesting idea. Thanks!


BB62

 

[flatrock]

I'm kind of curious what you are trying to record. Are you trying to record your actions on your walk to disprove any false acusations before you meet up with the police, or are you trying to record your encounter with the police?

The police are likely to insist that you not have anything in your hands while they question you, and it's a good idea to be able to show your hands are empty when the police approach you.

If the police get called about a man with a gun, they do have a duty to check things out. They are going to be nervous about confronting an armed person. It's in your best interest to keep things calm and to show them you aren't a threat to them.

I'm not really sure what you could use as a recoiding device that wouldn't be obvious, unless you're willing to invest considerable money in the gear. If you already own a camcorder that has a video input, maybe you could find a small camera that wouldn't be to large or bulky to attach to it. You could carry the camcorder in a bag, or backpack. The camcorder would give you the recording capacity that you won't get with a small digital device.

Whatever you do be careful and be safe. You're confronting people's somewhat irrational fears, and scared people often make poor decisions. I respect and support your right to carry openly, but when doing so be very careful of your actions. If you don't do your best to project a good image of gun owners, you're likely to do more harm than good.

 

[HankB]

I don't see how recording a conversation between yourself and a public servant, when it takes place in a public place, would be against the law. There is no expectation of privacy when you're in public - note the growing proliferation of surveillance cameras, red light cameras, etc.

And especially if the LEOs are confronting you as part of their official public duty - there certainly is NO expectation of privacy.

The phone/wiretapping statutes would appear to be inapplicable.

Caveat: I'm not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice.

 

[BB62]

Flatrock,

I stated in a previous post why I intended to tape my activities:

"I'm not worried about the cops - does no one read anymore? - I am concerned about the die-hard antis out there who would think nothing of swearing out a complaint that I was grasping for or waving my sidearm around."

I don't care if the recording device is visible - I am just soliciting ideas about devices I might use either on my belt or on my person otherwise to ward off false charges.

The officers who stopped me warned me that if they had a complainant present who was willing to say I had brandished my weapon or somesuch, I would have been arrested. THEN it would have been my word against theirs - and as I said, some people have no conscience about using any means necessary to achieve their desired ends.

I don't want to be on the short end of that stick. I've asked the questions I've asked for my own benefit, but anyone else who open carries ought to at least consider the possibilities.

And yes, I am fully aware that such steps would not be necessary if I were to simply avail myself of my CHL, but that is not the point of my questions.

BTW, have you read the GT post? You should.


Regards,
BB62