One of my good friends just told me that his Grandmother is being robbed blind by her caretakers. The poor woman is in her late 80's and requires 24/7 care. His Grandfather (WWII Veteran) has been deceased for a few years and his Gram has lost much of her ability to function since his passing. I wish I would've known him better after hearing the stories about him.
They are stealing everything from towels, clothes, money (for her food and some medical supplies), and unfortunately his Gram's engagement ring. As you can imagine, they were livid when they noticed the ring missing.
This family isn't computer savvy so they asked me if I could find/setup a "NannyCam" or other discrete camera (no audio per PA wiretapping laws). "Gram" is on board with the plan. The ring was the final straw for her and it really broke her heart.
Does anyone have recommendations for a camera/system? Their budget is a couple hundred dollars give or take.
Here's some requirements and the general scenario:
I've been to their Grandmother's house a few times , but I don't recall the layout very well so I asked about the specifics. Most stuff is stolen from the kitchen area, usually on the island. They can't really hide the camera on the island because things are constantly being moved or placed in that area. They have recessed lighting directly above it (5-6') and suggested putting the camera there for a top-down view. There is also an area to perch the camera on top of the cabinets to overlook the island (unknown distance, but probably no more than 10ft). I'm going to scout it out tomorrow or Sunday.
Some requirements for the camera: battery power supply, either SD card storage or wireless streaming to a pc (preferred), motion activated, no audio or selectable on/off audio to comply with PA laws, and high enough resolution to make a positive ID and to show the act clearly.
Any legal advice would be appreciated as well. Would a list of items previously stolen be of any use after they catch this SOB? From what I gather, they would like to get restitution, but more importantly they want to make sure this person can't victimize any other people. I know the penalties can correspond to the value of the items that are stolen, but I don't know if it would only apply to the stolen items they have video evidence of.
I'm going to donate my old laptop to the cause if we get a wifi based camera. There's no internet service within the house, but the neighbors might be willing to let us mooch their wireless temporarily (supposedly some caretakers are already helping themselves to it). It would be cool to have it streaming to the net, but it's not a deal breaker.
I really appreciate any help GD can provide for this matter. Thanks!