Date: 2/2/07
Author: Jason Warick
Source: Saskatchewan News Network

REGINA -- It's the middle of the night, but the video monitor inside a Regina home is showing live images of the backyard as if it's high noon.

Brian (not his real name) checks the hand-held monitor periodically. Outside, the yard is completely dark, but the video screen clearly displays the trees, garage and other features in black and green duotone.

On his roof, an infrared camera sends the pictures to the monitor inside. Brian installed it following the second break-in in three years. He hopes it will give him the upper hand on any criminals using the cover of darkness to break in.

This father of a six-month-old girl has joined the growing legion of homeowners investing in video surveillance.

Vendors say they're providing peace of mind to homeowners, but others say they're exploiting people's fears to make money.

"Fear is a commodity. It's good for business," said University of Saskatchewan sociology professor Bernard Schissel.

Brian also bought an 18-centimetre long "bullet camera" for his garage, which has been the target of vandalism.

Inside the house, there's a "nanny cam" hidden in the nose of teddy bear. An electronic eye records any activity in the baby's room. Brian and his girlfriend use it nightly as a glorified baby monitor, but he said it will also be useful to spy on babysitters and other visitors.

"Maybe I'm taking things too far, but (having) a family makes it different," he said.

The current camera setup cost Brian $800, far less than an alarm system, he said. He'd like to buy more cameras when he can afford it.

"Knowing we have this stuff, we feel more safe. We've done everything we can for now," he said.

Video monitoring is not just for the police, the government or large corporations anymore. The increasingly affordable technology has led many homeowners to create their own surveillance apparatus.

"It's a growing trend. This is not fear-mongering -- it gives people peace of mind," said Neil McDonald, manager of the Regina personal security store Spy Tech.

Cameras are easily their most popular item, McDonald said. A man came in recently who will pre-wire a series of cameras into the new house he's building.

If your home is robbed, the police may use the tape to retrieve your goods and catch the criminal. It can also speed up a claim if shown to the insurance agent, McDonald said.

They've sold several nanny cams in recent months. People have bought them to watch the babysitter or to catch a cheating spouse in the act. One customer placed a hidden camera in the room of their father at a care home.

"Maybe your parents aren't being treated the way you hoped they would be," McDonald said.

Spy Tech also sells pens, cigarette lighters and sunglasses with hidden cameras.

Home surveillance extends beyond cameras. The store also sells listening devices and GPS systems you can attach to a car, a purse or other items. There's also the TeleSpy, a regular telephone with a motion detector. If an intruder walks past it, a call is immediately placed to your cellphone, to the neighbour or to someone else you designate to keep an eye on things.

All of these items and more are readily available online. There are keystroke detectors to record every word typed on the family computer.

"Checkmate" is a semen-detector kit allowing you to see if your wife or girlfriend has been unfaithful.

There are also counter-surveillance items, such as phone voice scramblers, or devices to sweep rooms for bugs or video cameras.

The technology has become far cheaper in recent years. An infrared camera, for example, used to require an expensive liquid nitrogen apparatus to cool the detector. Now a compact camera can be placed on a roof for a few hundred dollars.

But just because these gadgets are in the price range of the average homeowner doesn't mean everyone should have one, said Schissel.

Blanket media coverage of the latest murders and violent crimes, combined with the hysteria following the World Trade Centre attacks in 2001, have sown seeds of mistrust among many people, he said. That leads people to distance themselves from their fellow citizens and their community.

"When you become disconnected, you become more fearful," he said.

Governments have taken advantage of this fear to increase surveillance. Businesses have profited from this fear to sell more product. However, statistics do not show any marked increases in violent crime, he said.

"It's a relatively safe world," Schissel said.

"I'm not sure there's any reason to be more afraid."

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

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