ZoneMinder Forums

Hello!

Has anyone used footage from there ZoneMinder system to officially pass to the police for any offences/investigations?

I work with the police and all footage we receive comes on DVD from the customer with some sort of third party application (different for every system really!) (Basically it's just a CCTV viewing application)

Just wondering if ZM needs something similar!

most cctv systems I've seen try to use some proprietary crap formats and hence need their own crap software to view.

ZM just stores as jpegs or in future, very standard media formats so no special players are required.

I have given images from my ZM to the police..

I've given CCTV from Zoneminder to the police (ongoing criminal damage by little ASBOs) -- not very successfully though. This is not Zoneminder's fault

Firstly -- after many attempts to download the .avi files, and a long delay, they finally admitted that they "couldn't see them". Passed to their IT department, who couldn't see them either. Just stills, not a movie. I only found this out because I had to chase them up to see why no contact from the police.

These are encoded as 25fps 640x480 MP4 files in an .avi container, playable on VLC, Xine, Windows Media Player as old as Win 98. Nothing advanced.

They said that they needed to be able to convert them into a DVD disc to be able to watch them. So I knocked up a convert-and-join-into .MPEG-2 script using FFMPEG. Re-sent them.

After another long delay with no contact, found out that they'd finally looked at all the CCTV and came to the conclusion that it was "of no evidential value". It was "just some kids walking back and forth".

This despite it being CCTV of a clearly identifiable group passing house on several occasions earlier in day, the same group returning at night, arming themselves with [items] from nearby property, breaking a window, running off, and returning a few days after to try again, and finally returning again to point out the damage to their mates and laugh about it.

I'm not sure what the point of having CCTV is when the police won't do anything with it.

So, in short, your problems may not be entirely of a technical nature.

mikb wrote: They said that they needed to be able to convert them into a DVD disc to be able to watch them. So I knocked up a convert-and-join-into .MPEG-2 script using FFMPEG. Re-sent them.

(

I would have just said put the disc into your computer and click on the .avi filename (or whatever type of format you saved it in...rename it also something easily recognizable).

Police have puters these days....sounds like they didn't have much interest to help you....and making you jump thru hoops.

@dazed: I think you're right. They categorically denied that they were effectively filing it under "can't be bothered", although the admitted it was "not handled well" -- including the police's failure to take a statement at the time, failing to contact me about the CCTV, them mixing up the details of who reported the crime, stating that there were "no witnesses" (even though I saw it happen as well as being on CCTV) losing the .JPG stills I sent, watching and ignoring the CCTV, losing my emailed "statement" etc. etc.

It's obvious that they were just passing it from person to person. Even more annoyingly, they know who the person is (they id'd them from the CCTV) but won't pass on the details so I can stick an invoice through the door, followed by an LBA to sort it out civilly. Maybe they are worried that the invoice will be wrapped in a brick!

I did specifically ask -- what is the point of having CCTV if you won't use it? Their response was "We always advise people to have CCTV and security systems". Great

I made .mov files and put them on USB and CD. That did the trick.

They where used as technical evidence, and with good effect. The Police guys where very happy with the quality

I'm just happy that the IQ of burglars and men of vandalism is that low. The pack was starring right into the camera

Lars

mikb wrote: I did specifically ask -- what is the point of having CCTV if you won't use it? Their response was "We always advise people to have CCTV and security systems". Great

You should have contacted the states (or district) attorneys office that the police work with in prosecuting offenders....as they are the ones who decide to prosecute or not.....good luck

@dazed: This is the UK, so no such thing as the DA -- the equivalent is the Crown Prosecution Service I suppose.

Sadly, they would be unlikely to bring a prosecution as the police have to decide to forward things to them for consideration. In this case, they have already decided that without a statement (which they didn't take), without any witnesses (other than me, who they don't count), without any evidence (other than that which they lost, then failed to view, and then decided was not evidence of anything), and without a signed confession from the person who did it (unlikely) that there's nothing that can be done.

To say I'm somewhat p****d off is putting it mildly.

If I thought raising a complaint would do anything more than cause me even more hassle, I would. As it is, if it happens again, I know the police won't do a damn thing, and I see why so many people don't even bother reporting stuff like this -- hand out crime number, file it under "so what", and move on.