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Has any Co Op or Condo been shaken down by the Sanitation Dept. for X-Mas tips or they will find reasons to give violations? Any discussion on this topic will be appreciated.
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i would put a recorder that turns in when speech is detected, think it is called VOX or something, many of the cheap ones have them, including usb thumb drive types and pens, even the video recording pens that normally quit working , the vox recording will still work and you donet need to expose a baseball bat size pen.
If you have that with you ,or whoever is being shaken down,and you catch it on a digital medium, always keep the original digital medium, never copy off it and use it somewhere else. you can copy off of it , to save in the cloud and multiple places, but keep the sd card,labeled and locked,so it can't be recorder over by mistake..
If the person is lucky enough to get the shakedown request on audio , or audio /video if you use a more advanced unit for around $50.
Now you have the problem of what to do. Sanitation men tend to stick to gether, so it is not like a building inspector ,restaurant inspector. the best bet when inn a situation like that is have multiple camera videotaping everything around the property. It wasnt too many years ago that a sanitation worker got caught (due to video)breaking fluorescent tubes in front of a business under the EL , and then fined the owner . The good news is that infrared video cameras nowadays are cheap, 5 or more with DVR system for 500 or less at Costco, 10 cameras for under 1000, $750 sometimes. All infrared, always test the range of the infrared, lights in the area will make it work for a good distance. Costco you can return easy, and many system you can add-on cameras, and start with 5. It is good to have that protection anyhow, well hidden cameras, can dispute slip and fall clams, and easily pay for themselves. Using a motion sensitive device, that has been tested by the user, keeps the recording to movement activation only. With the media , the next step is to find out how ro use it. Lawyers advice would be a good idea at that point. You will need the cameras if the ir is retaliation, so good to look into it now, and overall they are good to have, IP cameras can also be monitored via a smartphone. I believe it is illegal for a sanitation worker to accept a gift, period. Sometimes they make a gift valued under $5 ok, but no yearly tips, and shakedowns push it into a criminal act ,as opposed to a workplace violation that could result in dismissal.
I think someone's been watching too much Law & Order and CSI.
Before spending any money on surreptitious recording equipment, video surveillance equipment, and criminal lawyers to help you fight whatever laws you might be breaking by doing all this recording, contact your board's attorney with these allegations. If they're good they will help you, and if they're great they will refer you to another attorney who specializes in these kinds of situations.
Rest assured that whoever you accuse of bribery will be doing the same.
i use the equipment all the time, i know the laws. If people would learn you rights , you have a much better chance with video evidence. I have recorded police many times, they didn't like it , they threatened , and they did nothing but huff and puff. If they acted like they were videotape all the time, we wold have less payouts on winning lawsuits. The use of video camera by citizen activist resulted in quite a few were overturned at the RNC in NYC, I forget the numbers but quite a few people lives were saved, as a bogus conviction would have meant goodbye job , market. he guy in times square who was attacked by a probationary officer and cited with felony charges was saved by a tourist recording of the incident , all charges wee dismissed , the cop was convicted of charges that carried a higher penalty then perjury. substantial. The bicycle received 2 million dollars from the city if NY, all by a video without that video the lying cop would have him still in jail. You are allowed to videotape or photo anyone while you are on public property or your property, common areas of your coop are your property. The girls maced or pepper sprayed my the white shirt officers will get a good settlement, all due to videotape. Too bad they do not make the police responsible for their illegal actions and make them pay, we pay because they break the laws. All smart bicyclist now ride with video and it has solved a couple hit and runs. I have been using a dash cam in my car for over 8 years. The one i have now has gps data and black box info. The next one i will by records front and rear.Cameras in my apartment tell me as soon as someone enters even if i was in Europe, and i will have a permanent video history in the cloud. I can even talk to them and hear them , $180, for the pan and tilt 2 way audio cameras. Locks are BS,, i can pick locks, but now they have bumping tools. I would much rather call the police and email the police a photo while they are still in the apartment.
The most important thing s you can always photo or video on public property. The bridges and tunnels stuff hasn't been tested in court yet, but even top cps know you can still take picture in the subway, but you will be stopped.
12 year old kids have taken out cops that were making multiple violations while questioning him. Due to the cops illegal questioning every arrest he made before becomes tainted.
i will stick with my cameras .
Before I or anyone else accepts the validity of your opinions, I have two really simple questions:
1) What lawschool did you graduate from?
2) In what states are you admitted to practice law?
I'm sure you should have no trouble responding to both.
While sanitation workers can be "forward" when it come to holiday tips ( I had one that always stopped by at holiday season to remind us so). I took his name and badge number and reported him to his supervisor and he never came by again.
As regarding violations, the city goes into blitz mode when it needs money and agents write tickets as do police, traffic wardens etc. Just be extra careful and vigilant when you are putting items out for collection. Proveing that you are being singled out can be difficult. I would keep a log of such events, when you received a summons, why? did the other buildings on your block get fines etc?
Hope this was helpful,
MRM
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I doubt anyone would put an affirmative answer to you question in writing, even if anonymously in this forum. Also, you have no idea about the motives behind any answer you receive here, so you use them at your own risk.
Your best bet is to contact your Co-op attorney for guidence.
Good luck.
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