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Neighbor with camera pointing at my daughters window

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vdavid23

Junior Member
What is the name of your state?

Colorado

I have 2 little girls and a year ago I noticed a camera on my neighbors house that was hidden pointing at my daughters window. I called the police and he was told to remove it. A week later he moved it again and kept moving it at night so he could get a beetr view of the window now.

Again he was told to remove it. We went through community mediation and he was instructed that if he wanted a camera up to not point it at our house.

1 year later I discovered another camera hidden in a tree pointing at our house again. This time I was pissed. I jumped the fence went into his yard and took the camera down. The police up to this point have not been doing anything about this saying he has a right to do this.

Now I have a ticket for trespassing.

I don't want to lay down and play dead on this issue. I want to raise Cain when I go to court about this neigbor. There are 7 options on the back of this ticket.

I want to do 2 of the 7 options.

1. A jury trial
2. Appeal to a higher court

Would this make sense at this time or am I wasting my time.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 


SHORTY LONG

Senior Member
Suggest before you plummet, to contact the Police Department, and see if you can
obtain any information pertaining to last years episode.
 

vdavid23

Junior Member
Already did. I got a copy of all 3 police reports and I discovered this neighbor also works at a public school. What is bothering me is the fact that the police keep saying he has a legal right to do that and also the fact of how he keeps hiding the cameras in the middle of the night.

I am very frustrated because my family is very worried at this point and very scared of him.

He lives alone and has no children. The police said he had very expensive recording equipmenht in his house and tons of unlabeled DVD's laying around the house.

Everytime they question him he has a cute excuse for his reasons for pointing the camera at our house, but they never push the issues. A lot of his excuses should be throwing up reg flags or they should be questioning him further and they have not.

Again, I agree everyone has a right for home security, but not at my expense of feeling secure in my own home. That is why I am wondering if I should push this issue in court instead of paying the small fine for trespassing?
 

Rexlan

Senior Member
I would pay the fine as you are clearly in violation and probably can not win on that issue.

You should contact a local attorney and see if obtaining an injunction is possible to prohibit the pointing of a camera at you home. By doing this you will then have the ability to bring him into court for a perceived violation and or get him arrested for a violation. The police can not do a thing about it now because he is not violating the law with the camera. With children involved, you stand a good chance of obtaining the relief. Then you and the police have the necessary tools in hand if he persists.

The reality is, however, that the camera field of view is such that even if it is pointing at an obscure angle it can still see your house/window. So where do you draw the line? He certainly has the right to have and use his camera; however, this may be bordering on a stalking issue. That would be the spin I would put on it.
 

seniorjudge

Senior Member
I have to agree with Rexlan... however, like you, I doubt I could deal with the situation as calmly as he advises.

You might also try contacting your alderman/city council rep, and checking the neighbor's name in one of the various sex offender websites.



:cool:

I'd be hitting the camera in the tree with a garden hose. No trespassing involved there.

I'd also post a big (4'X8' or bigger) sign on my front lawn saying "My next door neighbor is videotaping my daughters! Watch out for your kids!"
The hose deal is clearly trespassing (although I certainly don't blame our poster).

The sign idea is great!
 

seniorjudge

Senior Member
...Oh, I don't know...

"Well, ya see officer, I was hosing the side of my house because I'm planning to repaint soon, and gosh darn it, the hose must have just got away from me. All I did was squirt a little water into the neighbor's yard. If he's mad about it... what does he do when it rains?"

....
You forgot to add, "...all the while maintaining a puzzled and hurt look."
 

racer72

Senior Member
I have heard a rumor (hint hint) that laser lights can cause damage to the internal workings of many cameras. I wouldn't know if this is true or not. ;)
 

SHORTY LONG

Senior Member
To the honorable Forum members; Outstanding!

Moreover, four days ago, here in my city they arrested a sicko that was
42. Evidently he has an above ground swimming pool, and allows the kids
to swim in it. A sister of one of the younger ones (she is 13) saw a
hidden Video camera in the bathroom they used to change clothes in.
She got her other younger sister, and they other kids out of there,
and told her Mother. Her Mother called the Police, and they arrested
him. They found 100's of DVDs and a book on how to make date rape
drugs. He also was charged with so far one count of rape (story still
developing) and a pedophile charge. While he was in Jail awaiting
arrangement, he literally got the crap beat out of him. They showed
him on the news appearing before the Judge; he had both eyes blacked,
and cuts and bruises thus far.

To the OP, here we have a Sex Offense data base that you can run the
individual's name. If you do not have one, call you locale Sheriff's Department
and see if they do; and give them this sickos name. If something turns up on
him, then contact the School, and run with it.
 

vdavid23

Junior Member
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. In fact, I tried the sign outside in the front yard after this last time when I found his camera, but he threatened to sue if I did not remove it which would not be as productive as finding out what I should do to stop him from doing this ever again.

Again, I am wondering if I should just pay this ticket or escalate this situation when I go to court over this ticket?

The back of the ticket gives me 7 options and 2 of them I am strongly considering when I go to court. I have written a time line of events and I have photos of the camera and all the police reports that give information that throws up a lot of reg flags in my mind.

I high level recording equipment in his house and the unmarked DVD's throw up major reg flags with this neighbor. The officer told me when she was invited into his how he had recording equipment that they don't even have.

Again here are the two options I am considering when I go to court over the ticket.

1. Have a hearing before a referee or Judge.
2. To appeal the decision to a higher court.

By doing one of these two options will it make any difference or should I just pay the ticket?

Currently in our state there are no laws against (Electronic voyeurism) which is surprising to me in this day and age.

The other thing I did not tell you is he has a very expensive WIFI device on the top of his roof. I contacted (Netgear) and they were confused why a neighbor was using a device like this when it was designed for universities and major companies. The tech thought it was strange that a gerneral consumer would need something like this on his house.
 

JustAPal00

Senior Member
Go back to the sign! Make sure everything on it is true! IE: "The man next door has a video camera pointed at my young daughters bedroom window. He refuses to move it. Watch your children around this house.===>". Then let him sue! Then picket the school he works at staying off the property, but holding a sign with his name and what he's doing!
 

vdavid23

Junior Member
If I were in your position, I'd take the case to trial. See what the judge will allow into the record. The transcripts of the case may prove useful later. Paying the ticket wouldn't give you that. But I wouldn't go to trial expecting to be found Not Guilty.
Ok, this makes sense now. I did not want to be wasting my time doing this if there would not be any benefit to it. You are correct, I am not trying to get out of this ticket or trying to deny I ever trespassed. What I am hoping to show is even after doing everything legally I have finally run out of options.

Example.

1. Code enforcement said I can not raise my fence.
2. Medation has said that there is nothing they can do anymore since I have already gone through mediation.
3. The police say because he is not a sex offender he has not broken the law.
4. My city councelman has said it could be months before they can add a new law to the city code agaisnts aiming cameras at their neighbors house.

Actually a lot of people have said I am showing more restrant than they would have. I just want the Judge to know that if something is not done to prevent him from doing this it will escalate. Unfortanty, my families security and safety is being compromised for the safety and security he claims he needs.

I also called several security firms that do this for a living and I asked them point blank is there a law against this and they said they were not aware of one, but they would not do this for their customers because it is not ethical.

I have put tin foil up in their windows, but now my girls are so creaped out by this guy they do not want to come over to my house anymore until this is resolved.

So again, thanks for all the good advice and I will let everyone know how this goes. I go to court next week and I am sure that is when they will set a court date to be set before a Judge.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
Go back to the sign! Make sure everything on it is true! IE: "The man next door has a video camera pointed at my young daughters bedroom window. He refuses to move it. Watch your children around this house.===>". Then let him sue! Then picket the school he works at staying off the property, but holding a sign with his name and what he's doing!
I would consider placing copies of the photos you have of the camera observing your house onthe sign. Yes, he could still sue and you would be requir3ed to fight it but with what you have posted, doesn't seem like much chance (actually none) of him winning.

At best, he may be able to get an injunction to require you to remove the sign but unless you have some "no sign" laws in your area, even that would be doubtful.
 

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