Security camera surveillance in an interview room is admissible in court under the proper guidelines. Here are some devices that are recommended for use in an interview room setting. Check out http://www.supercircuits.com to find out more!

1. Interview Room Recording Systems: What is Admissible
in Court?
Interview room surveillance can be a difficult subject to discuss, as jurisdictions can vary wildly. Add in
the variance between recommendations and requirements of different organizations and agencies,
and it can be nearly impossible to name a single minimum standard for court admissibility.
That said, the standards for a video surveillance system set by the Department of Justice's research
department, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), are the most widely accepted. Organizations
adhering to those will leave little room for questioning the quality or completeness of their interview
room surveillance footage for use in court.
Camera
Under the recommended NIJ standards, the goal of an interrogation room surveillance system’s
camera is to provide a clear image of the subject of the interview and all other persons and activity in
the room.
The latter part is important to be mindful of—without an adequate view of the rest of the room,
coercion and other improper behaviors by off-screen persons become possible, which reduces the
value of any evidence recorded. The standard also requires a color camera, not black-and-white, for
improved clarity and accuracy.
There are two general possibilities for meeting camera requirements: a single high-resolution camera

2. or multiple lower-resolution cameras.
Cameras need to be positioned to record the entire room and should be capable of presenting a
close-up view of the subject at suitable resolution for observing minor nonverbal cues. Specific
national, state, and agency standards for a particular interrogation room should also be taken into
consideration.
Microphone
As with camera standards, the recording capability and placement of your
microphone must enable all sounds made by the subject or others in the room
to be heard clearly.
Single-microphone systems must utilize stereo microphones; multi-microphone
systems can use unidirectional microphones and other variants for a more
effective, efficient sound recording.
The NIJ also recommends against placing microphones on interview tables, as this makes them
vulnerable to unruly behavior, can impact the willingness of a suspect to speak, and may result in
unwanted acoustic effects.
Digital Multimedia Evidence (DME) Recorder(s)
There are several options for preserving evidence captured by audio and visual recording devices.
Digital Video Recorder (DVR) systems take the feed from cameras and microphones and directly
encode and store the input for later viewing.
In contrast, systems encoding media at the camera level or using an intermediate encoding device
can utilize a Network Video Recorder (NVR), a tool that stores pre-encoded media for later viewing.
DVR and NVR systems both require adequate recording media (for example, a hard drive) and
software to control and manage the system. Skimping on your recorder, your recording media, or your
software can result in corrupt or compromised data, resulting in inadmissible audio and video
recordings.
Video and Audio Monitor
All systems should have external monitors for observing the feeds from recording devices. These

3. may be implemented as separate systems or a single feed with integrated audio and video.
Without adequate separation of control by including these external monitors and power switches, the
potential for accidental system failure rises, damaging the credibility of any provided evidence and
potentially ruining admissibility.
Law enforcement agencies looking to put together an effective interview room surveillance system
should be mindful of specific judicial laws governing equipment and quality. Always ensure the
integrity of your recordings by employing the correct technology and placement in interrogation
rooms.
Looking to assemble your own interview recording system? Find out how with our guide to building
your own interview recording system.

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