Tips for detecting hidden cameras
On Your Side Safety Check
PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. (WBRC) - Cullman investigators are trying to figure out how a camera got into a hotel room after a family visiting from Tennessee found one in the air vent of a bathroom.
Ashley Hatton never thought her daughter would find a camera hidden in their hotel room. The Tennessee family travels often for sports. Her message to everyone is to check your entire room.
“Especially if you’re out of town, be vigilant and do all the research and sweep your room. That’s so important because there’s plug in cameras for the fire alarms, cameras in the bathroom, like it’s crazy,” Hatton said.
As technology evolves, it becomes easier for people to buy these types of cameras. Pleasant Grove Police Chief Danny Reid said it’s also easy to hide them.
“Tags for GPPS have gotten smaller and smaller and smaller. Cameras are getting smaller and smaller and smaller. It’s gonna be easier for nefarious folks for them to hide them somewhere; they’re gonna have the ability to do so,” Reid said.
Reid advises trusting your instincts and looking for anything that may be out of place. One way you can catch a camera is by using a flashlight.
“Any kind of camera has an aptitude in there that goes back to the sensor. So, it’s just like our eyes when you shine a light on it, it makes a red light,” Reid said.
Another useful tool is a device or app that picks up the camera signal.
@wbrcnews After a Tennessee woman and her daughter found a hidden camera in a Cullman hotel bathroom, authorities are sharing tips to check your room for these devices when you arrive. #hiddencamera #hotelhiddencam #cullman #safetytips #WBRC ♬ original sound - WBRC 6 News
“There are also apps on your phone that can detect cameras, motion detectors, voice recorders, all sorts of things,” said Marc Sachs, chief engineer at the Center for Internet Security.
If you do find a camera, Reid said to alert the staff and call the police.
“If it’s in a place like a hotel, it’s likely the staff could have put it there. Somebody who has access to the room. So it wouldn’t hurt to go ahead and call the police,” Reid said.
WBRC reached out to the Days Inn about this case. They shared the following statement:
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