Spy gadgets becoming popular for everyday use

Date: 18/05/2005
Source: WATE.com
Author: Catharyn Campbell

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Spy gadgets like the small cameras and digital audio recorders shown in ABC's hit drama "Alias" are being used more often in people's everyday lives.

They can be hidden in a pack of cigarettes or disguised as a screw, button or cell phone, tiny cameras that can capture hours worth of video.

"This item here is a Nokia telephone...the actual lens opening is right here," says Gary Litton, a private investigator for 34 years. Three years ago, he opened Spy Tech, a store on Chapman Highway that carries high tech surveillance equipment.

"The camera business is a big business right now," Litton says. "Everybody is videoing. Everybody wants to know who's taking my product? Who's stealing my money?"

He says local law enforcement officers use digital audio recorders on undercover operations.

However, Litton says about 50 percent of his sales are to people who want to install recording equipment in their homes. Cameras come in all sizes and even in the shape of a teddy bear. You can keep an eye on babysitters or cleaning services.

Still, most private investigators will tell you there are rules when you tape someone on private property. "If you're putting a camera in your home, you wouldn't be able to put a camera in the bathroom or of the person's sleeping quarters," says private investigator Robert Sweat. "The camera cannot be placed where a person has an expectation of privacy."

There's even a way to tell if you're being recorded. There are palm size detectors that make sounds if they detect radio frequencies. "It will show you if there's a camera anywhere around," Litton says. "It will actually buzz or vibrate in your hand."

If you're considering installing a recording device in your home, it's best to tell people they're being taped.

Also, you can legally record or film a person as long as they're in a public place.

Litton says in Tennessee, it's against the law to bug a person's phone. He says people who are caught illegally tapping into phone calls could be ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and serve five years in prison.

This article may be reproduced as long as the source Footprint Home Security is provided as a link.

Back to Free Expert Advice

Back to Footprint Home Security