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Open Carry WITHOUT a recording device?

gearup

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2012
Messages
40
Location
Norfolk
My question for all of you is who OC's and does not use a recording device of any kind? Maybe it is me being new but I just do not feel paranoid enough to record my whole day every day.
 

peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
13,551
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Valhalla
No one says you have to. Go with your gut but don't cry about it if you do need a recording one day....and where you live, chances are good you will.
 

ComradeV

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
428
Location
Maple Hill, North Carolina, USA
You don't need to record every day or maintain an archive of days.

The reason most record the whole day is to make sure it's recording in case anything happens. If nothing happens, one just deletes the day.

If you want to be ready to record any
Encounters you deem worth recording, it's a lot easier to not to be fumbling with the device and attracting attention to it in the process.
 

peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
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Messages
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Valhalla
You don't need to record every day or maintain an archive of days.

The reason most record the whole day is to make sure it's recording in case anything happens. If nothing happens, one just deletes the day.

If you want to be ready to record any
Encounters you deem worth recording, it's a lot easier to not to be fumbling with the device and attracting attention to it in the process.

A good example is Surry. Skidmark is an old hand at this but he just didn't think it was necessary to record that day. It would have made a big difference.
There is another case I'm not going to get specific about right now, where he is proceeding with legal action against the Officer and probably the department, because he had a recording.

I don't carry an audio recorder usually but always have a video recorder anyway.
 

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
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Valhalla
A good example is Surry. Skidmark is an old hand at this but he just didn't think it was necessary to record that day. It would have made a big difference.
....


Started to turn around and get it twice! TWICE!! And told myself it was not worth the trouble.:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: (only because they will not let me put more than 5 smilies in any single post)

Nickle metal hydride batteries above 1000mAh allow continuous recording for at least 48 hours (my recorder has the capacity to hold 72.3hours of voice). Turn the sucker on before I open the door to go out. Leave it alone until I get home, and then usually just hit the "delete" button because nothing happened that day. I actually have more stuff archived from my conversations with the folks over at the VA hospital than I do from anything else. And usually after a few months I no longer need to keep the files any longer.

The big point is that carying a recorder is like carrying homeowner's insurance - you could go through life never needing to file a claim, but the one time you need to it becomes worth all the premiums you paid. The <$50 you will spend for a decent recorder, two sets of NMh batteries, and a charger is well worth giving up a box of ammo.

stay safe.
 

09jisaac

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
1,692
Location
Louisa, Kentucky
I was the same way OP. I never thought I would need a recorder.

KYGlockster and I took some information to the County attorney and the County Judge Executive to fix an ordinance against state law. They seemed willing enough to fix it. The Judge even seemed happy that we brought it up, like he didn't want to be part of a law suit.

Next time I went to the courthouse though, I was escorted out, flanked by the sheriff and some woman. In an attempt to fix that without a law suit I called back in Glockster, we tried to talk to some people and on the way out we ran into the county attorney. He was furious that I was still in the courthouse with my firearm. No man has ever talked to me like that in my life, and if wasn't for Glockster I would have had the let the sheriff arrested me and would have been living on easy street.

I thought I was covered because Glockster recored the whole event. I was wrong. It has been a while since this took place, I can't get the audio from Glockster (for some reason), and I can't get a lawyer to talk to me without it.

Now I never go out without my recorder.
 

ed

Founder's Club Member - Moderator
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
4,841
Location
Loudoun County - Dulles Airport, Virginia, USA
I love this one: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICD-UX512-Memory-Digital-Recorder/dp/B004M8ST4U/
31Bmhiqx8iL.jpg


I hang in on a lanyard around my neck in between my t-shirt and outer shirt. Works great. Has a USB built in so that I can dump it to any PC. Re-charges from the USB jack too so I have a Cigarette lighter/USB jack in the car. One charge records 24 hours on 2GB of built in memory.
 

riverrat10k

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2008
Messages
1,472
Location
on a rock in the james river
I think I met Ed for the first time about three years ago at the General Assembly. I mentioned his lanyard device and he said :

"If I have THIS on (pointing to his sidearm), I have THIS on (showing me his recorder)."

Possible insurance.
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
If you wont leave home without your sidearm, why would you leave home w/o the item designed to protect you from potential penalty for having it.

Hope I never need either, but just in case the SHTF I have both.
 

peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
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Location
Valhalla
Today is a good example.

When I got at RCD this morning, Grapeshot was outside and a Henrico Officer was in his car watching him. GS said he followed him in. Another Henrico cop pulled up and I set my helmet with the GoPro mounted on it and running, on a news stand pointed it at them, then went back to what we were talking about.

They both got in their cars and left.
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
A few thoughts in no particular order:

Not once has an OCer ever said after a police encounter, "I am so glad I didn't have a recorder."

One of the OCers involved in the Tony's Incident privately kicked himself for leaving his recorder at home that evening. The police were able to deny everything the OCers complained happened inside and outside the restaurant. The police couldn't evade the in-car text messages and department e-mails obtained by FOIA, which really showed their anti-self-defense attitudes; but the nastier stuff, like the illegal seizure of seven OCers, that happened at the restaurant was all denied.

Police can screw up even a consensual encounter, giving false information about the law, exaggerating things, revealing anti-rights attitudes. Even if they don't do anything strictly illegal, they can say the darnedest things sometimes.

Its really hard for a bad cop or a borderline cop to lie his way through an internal affairs investigation if there is a recording. Neither can police supervisors dummy up and assert a cop did everything properly when there is a recording.

The bottom line is that while things are generally better than they were five years ago, its not like every cop obeys the law and scrupulously observes rights. Also, things didn't get better for OCers because police decided, "Oh, my. Look at the nice citizens exercising their rights. We should support that." Uh-uh. No. Things got better because we came out swinging on rights violations. And, part of that was having recordings to prove the cops were ignoring the law, twisting the law, and violating rights.
 
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twoskinsonemanns

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
2,326
Location
WV
Maybe it is me being new but I just do not feel paranoid enough to record my whole day every day.

That's funny. I found that the MORE I OC'd, the more comfortable I felt doing it, THEN it started getting harder to remember to grab the recorder.

But get this straight.... cops lie. Of all the "run-in"s I've had with cops (one, many years ago) the cops involved lied 3-4 times about facts. 100% lying trend. Count on it.
 

Marco

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
3,905
Location
Greene County
My question for all of you is who OC's and does not use a recording device of any kind? Maybe it is me being new but I just do not feel paranoid enough to record my whole day every day.


It has nothing to do with being paranoid...

Think of it this way... How much easier would it be to have YOUR SD incident on VC???

Harold Fish
George Zimmerman
Pat Cook/ Harmon Wright
ETC.....

All of these folks could have benefited from having their days activities on a voice recorder, imho.


heck,
I'm looking into finding a reasonable priced video recorder similar in size to a tactical flashlight.
 

gearup

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2012
Messages
40
Location
Norfolk
You OC; does that make you paranoid???





I have no idea what you just asked.




Let me get one thing straight before everyone crucifies me. I am NOT suggesting that carrying a recording device is bad or wrong in any way. I am just looking to see if there is anyone else out there that thinks that well "crap that is one more piece of gear to carry". I do not really want to "suit up" for my day.

As for me, the only reason I open carry is for the fact that is is A LOT more comfortable than CC. I am not so sure I want to assist in educating the public at least not directly. And when asked why I carry I will never JUST say "its my right". NEVER. I carry because I was mugged at gunpoint in VA Beach many years ago and will never endure that violation again without having a fighting chance. It is a demoralizing feeling of total helplessness.

Carrying a recording device is an issue I am battling over and am looking for opinions on both sides of the issue. As for being paranoid, I have never felt that there was a need to gather evidence. Now I see many here do feel there is a need so I want to try and understand others opinions so I can see what I may or may not be missing.
 

TFred

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
7,750
Location
Most historic town in, Virginia, USA
Look at it this way:

I suspect you are far more likely to make use of a voice recorder to prove you committed no crime than you are to make use of your gun to defend your life against an attack from a violent criminal.

Maybe the statistics don't bear that out, but even if they don't, I bet it's close.

The point of the "paranoid" remark was that you carry a gun because you might need it some day to perform a very important function, saving your life or the life of a loved one from a violent attack. The reason you carry a voice recorder is not dissimilar: you might need it some day to perform a very important function, saving your freedom, and your ability to continue to live your life "on the outside" with your loved ones and friends.

TFred

P.S. After thinking about this for a while... I suppose the undeniable conclusion from my assumption above is that there are more dishonest LEOs who hate a gun-carrying public than there are criminals who would violently harm a victim. I don't know if that is true or not, but it's a sad thought to contemplate, at the very least.
 
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Fallschirjmäger

Active member
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
3,823
Location
Cumming, Georgia, USA
In the venue of 'just one more thing to carry..."

I thought that eye glasses were just one more thing to carry... at first
I thought my cellphone was just one more lump in my pocket
... my tiny LED flashlight
... my wallet, back when I was a kid and never Needed one


Today, all those go in without a single thought, the recorder's right next to my keys, which are right next to the phone, which is right next to my wallet. The eyeglasses stay in the car (along with my driving license).

... dang, just noticed that I forgot to include my pistol in the above list. Guess you can indeed get used to things when you do them often enough.
 

kord

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
24
Location
Virginia Beach VA
I'm convenced

After reading this and other posts about recorders I think it is an investment I need to make.

I do have some questions,
Auto record or just continuous record?
File format, important or not? (I'm thinking that being able to transfer the file would be a good thing)
Any brands/models I should stay away from?

And is there anything else I should add to a check list when I go shopping?
20hrs plus recording time
20hrs plus battery life (while recording)
USB charger

Thanks any advice or opinions will be helpful
 

USNA69

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
375
Location
Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Next Technological Leap

IIRC ... elsewhere in this Forum, someone mentioned smart phone apps that can record and upload video/audio to the "cloud" in real time.

This would solve the problem of your digital voice recorder being confiscated during an arrest and "mysteriously" disappearing or being erased prior to its return.
 
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