Advice and tips for Voice Recording.

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I've been OC'ing for the past several years and, luckily, have never had a bad LEO encounter. I've been told that it was illegal by civilians several times, but these were civilians, so I was perfectly fine to say, "No. It's perfectly legal" then walk away.

But, in today's world, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I do encounter a "hassle". I OC so often, I believe it's not a matter of "if", but "when".

So I want to be prepared.

I've already looked up my state law on consent. According to this: Laws on recorded transmissions- Missouri is a 1 party consent state (only one party to a conversation needs to consent. If I am in a conversation, I consent. Therefore, I can record it without the other party knowing.)

Other states need "2 party" or "all party" consent. This means (duh) "all parties" in a conversation need to consent to it being recorded in order for it to be legal.

Since I am going to be a novice recorder, are there any tips that would be beneficial for someone inexperienced with this to know?

Any reccomended types or models of recorder?

Any ways to carry it that are better?

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I have an Olympus VN-4100PC. It will record something like 20 hours of audio. Said audio can be downloaded to a PC via USB. Since it records such a large amount of audio, it's feasible to leave it on continuously, deleting the recording every few hours (presuming nothing of interest has happened). This way, you don't have to think about turning it on, just have to replace the batteries (2 AAA) every day or so.

Take a look at your cell phone. See if the cell phone has a recording capability. Some cell phones have a significant amount of on-board memory and can easily record hours of audio. Said audio can likely be copied to a PC.

You might also see if it's possible to use your cell phone to leave a message to your own voice mail. The key thing would be how long a voice message you could leave. The advantage of sending yourself a voice mail is that the recording is then external to you. A recorder or cell phone can disappear or get lost in the evidence room, or can be mysteriously erased. A voice mail you send yourself can't. If your cell phone allows you to do this, program a speed dial key on the cell phone so all you have to do is hold that key down for a couple of seconds to start recording.

If a situation is developing that looks like it could go bad, whether it involves police or not, calling 911 isn't a bad idea. 911 calls are recorded and those recordings can be used in court. If police are involved in an incident and beginning to get out of line, a dispatcher might be able to involve higher ranking supervisors pretty quickly. In any case, a 911 recording of what's going down could be useful and isn't going to get lost in an evidence room as easily as your pocket recorder might.

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Don't the Porcs have a number you can call that does this?

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I got the Olympus WS-321M. 17hr total record time, 1 AAA battery will last much longer than that. USB jack is built in so you can plug it directly into your USB port. Excellent, I repeat...EXcellent mic....excellent recorder. If you have Windows Media Player, your computer will automatically recgonize it as a WMA file, so you can save it and burn the file to a disc.

The cost might be a little higher than your looking for...$110 at BestBuy, but IMO, its well worth it. I recommend this recorder to anyone looking for one.




This unit has one-button recording, easy to operate, and has a clip on the back to attach a lanyard to hang it around your neck under your shirt.

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I bought an 8-gig Sansa Clip MP3 player with voice recorder. I had a 2-gig model, but couldn't carry both music AND room for a long recording.

With the 8-gig (roughly $75 from Amazon) I can turn on the "record" feature and no one knows. I get really good-quality recording, and have music too! And it's rechargeable. For an extra $10, I got a 110V (wall) charger and a 12VDC (auto) charger as well, so I can recharge even if I'm away from the computer.

Just another option. I also have the panasonic recorder, and it does well.

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While these options are all well and good, any evidence on a recorder/recording that is lost/destroyed by the police, doesn't help you.

I still think a VoIP supported 800 number for recording with your cell keeps the evidence out of the hands of those who have a record of destroying said evidence.

If nothing else, think of it as the BUG of voice recorders. What if you didn't have your recorder 'that time.' The battery died? It gets confiscated and erased/destroyed... Having an 800 number on speed dial as a backup is just good insurance.

Hell, it doesn't even have to be an 800 number. Cells have free long distance.

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I think a concealable recorder and a recorder out in the open are the best of both worlds.

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I've seen this matter neglected too many times. Even people who know they need a recorder, or even own one, still don't use them. It's kind of like owning a Desert Eagle as your only carry weapon. The thing just gets left behind so often because, damn, what a pain. Or you just forget...

Peope are already very much in the habit of carrying their cell phones with them. some of them have voice recorders, yes. but that still has the potential to be lost/destroyed by the offending officer to cover up what he just did.

It'll be the P32 of voice recorders. Cell phones may not have the quality of recording, and it may vary greatly from brand to brand. But just like the gun you never carry... A pocket pistol you have no excuse NOT to carry, is still better than nothing. The day you really need it will be the day you didn't have it.

I'm on the horn with VoIP providers right now... I'm making this happen.

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For my backup recorder I'm looking into watches with built in recorders. So far they appear to be about $50 to $100.

Michael

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Some folks up in NH run a recording service called "Cop Watch" at 603-413-0411. They prefer it to be used for NH incidents, but I'm up there occasionally so I have it on speed dial.

C

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CPerdue wrote:

Some folks up in NH run a recording service called "Cop Watch" at 603-413-0411. They prefer it to be used for NH incidents, but I'm up there occasionally so I have it on speed dial.

C

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Yeah, the Porcs run it. Mentioned that already. ;-) But they like to keep it local. If I use an inbound VoIP, I may be able to get it free in exchange for branding for the provider... "Powered by: ________" The database and account management I can write in my sleep.

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My Sony recorder fits perfectly in an extra mag holder.

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CPerdue wrote:

Some folks up in NH run a recording service called "Cop Watch" at 603-413-0411. They prefer it to be used for NH incidents, but I'm up there occasionally so I have it on speed dial.

C

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That's me. It's Porcupine 411 and I just this weekend revamped it so that people in other parts of the country can start to take advantage of the platform that I built for it, without having to have the technical knowledge to put one together from scratch themselves. It's been incredibly useful for incidents of all types, coordinating activism, and on occasion, just having fun with fellow activists.

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ixtow wrote:

I still think a VoIP supported 800 number for recording with your cell keeps the evidence out of the hands of those who have a record of destroying said evidence.

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I like this idea. Can anyone recommend a specific company providing this service?

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Neo wrote:

ixtow wrote:

I still think a VoIP supported 800 number for recording with your cell keeps the evidence out of the hands of those who have a record of destroying said evidence.

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I like this idea. Can anyone recommend a specific company providing this service?

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I've made a project of it, but it isn't high on the priority list ATM. If the Porcs augment their system, there won't be any need.