How to Hide Your Body Camera: Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re a beginner and want to know the uses of a body-worn camera, the first and foremost thing is to know the basic steps to hide your body camera before you start the recording process. Bodycams are typically known as surveillance cameras that police officers use to record interactions between suspects and victims in privacy. Wearable cameras require complete discretion when recording, so privacy and discretion are extremely important.

However, law enforcement agencies use this small device to catch culprits by providing evidence in the form of footage. It’s a handy device that reduces crime, so there is no chance to neglect the privacy factor while using body cams.

How to Hide a Body Camera Effectively?

One of the best ways to hide a body camera is with your clothes. Police officers use this device and probably hide it in their jackets, hats, and shirts. It’s a pocket-size camera that users easily fix in their dresses for confidential recording. 

There is always an option to hide lenses without facing light issues. However, these fine-quality cameras record clear footage in low lights, and hiding them in clothes is the easiest approach. Let’s take a look at the steps to hide the body-worn cameras!

Step 1 – Selecting the Right Type of Body Camera

Here are some tips for choosing the right type of wearable camera:

Size and Design of Body Camera

The most important thing is to consider the size and design of the camera. If you are looking for a secret recording to collect information at the spot where an incident has taken place, make sure you have hidden a camera with a decent size and design. No doubt, hideability is difficult with large-sized cameras. So, size and design matter a lot when choosing the right camera.

Look for body cameras that are easily concealable

Another thing is to look for easily concealable cameras, as you don’t want others to find the camera while capturing the footage. It’s a secret act, so don’t buy cameras that culprits can easily find. Make sure it is concealable, and that’s how you choose the right camera to enjoy smooth recordings.

Choose a body camera with discreet placement options

Camera placement is also an essential consideration when choosing the right cameras. Whenever you look for body cameras, ensure that they have discreet placement options so that you can easily record smooth videos.

Step 2 – Concealing the Body Camera on Clothing

Other than choosing the right cameras, let’s consider concealing the body camera on clothes.

Use Clothing Accessories to Conceal the Body Camera

If you plan to capture suspect videos, clothing accessories do a fantastic job, and that’s the right move to begin shooting. Here are some top-notch clothing accessories that you must consider for recording.

Button Camera

A button camera is a terrific choice for recording quick videos in an extremely private environment, as it doesn’t blink and record smoothly. So, attaching body-cams to a button is a smart choice.

Tie Camera

The tie camera also works great for recording short videos, and that’s a smart move for police officers, as this camera is feasible, and no one can see this when recording is done. It’s hidden.

Hat Camera

Hat camera is made for law enforcement agencies, and police officers prefer to capture live videos. It’s not hidden but recommended at the same time.

Utilize body-worn accessories to hide the body camera

Here are some body-worn accessories to hide the wearable camera:

Body Camera Holster or Pouch

A body camera holster or pouch is what you need to place your camera for protection purposes. A holster is a handmade piece that protects your device from damage and is a good accessory for wearable cameras.

Body Camera Strap or Harness

A body camera strap or harness is good for carrying a camera. It’s a safe way to hold a camera without involving your hands.

Step 3 – Camouflaging the Body Camera

Here are the steps to camouflaging the body-cams!

Choose clothing with patterns or prints to disguise the body camera

Camouflaging is the ultimate goal of using a wearable camera. An officer’s target is to conceal the footage; the camera should easily fit in the dress. Therefore, you must choose a clothing pattern with matching prints to help you disguise the body camera. 

Use adhesive patches or decals to blend the body camera with clothing

To hide your camera from the eye of the public, you may use adhesive patches or decals to blend the wearable camera with your clothes. It’s an attempt to match your camera with stickers or patches you use for your dress. It’s a practice that police officers follow.

Select body cameras with customizable covers for better camouflage

Don’t forget to select body-worn cameras with custom covers to give an excellent touch of camouflage. With this, you always have an opportunity to record sensational videos using customizable covers.

Step 4 – Strategic Placement of the Body Camera

The strategic placement of the body camera is also a vital part of hiding a camera. There are so many ways to hide a camera, but the best thing is to strategically plan your hiding areas and places to capture flawless footage. Let’s discuss some strategic places to hide the camera! 

Consider the optimal location for capturing the desired footage

If you are looking for an optimal location to shoot exceptional videos, you may try different things, but the best place is the chest and sunglasses of an officer. The choice is all yours!

Conceal the body camera in areas that won’t attract attention

Other than fitting the camera in your body, you may conceal the wearable camera in areas where the public cannot catch it. Indeed, you always want to capture the secret shots to gather maximum information from the spot where an incident happens. You may hide your camera in flower pots, birdhouses, mailboxes, and under the street lights.

Experiment with different placements for better concealment

Camera hiding is an art that police officers know well how to do it. Therefore, they experiment with different placements for better concealment. Most importantly, the cameras should be placed above eye level for better capturing. One more thing is to avoid visiting your cameras to keep them hidden from the public.

Step 5 – Testing and Adjusting the Hidden Body Camera

Here are the ways to test and adjust the hidden wearable camera:

Ensure the body camera remains securely hidden during movement

It is the responsibility of an officer to keep a check on hidden cameras without getting in touch with the audience. The cameras should remain hidden, and testing and adjustment must be done carefully. During the crime, the cameras must be working fine, and that’s the ultimate priority of users.

Test the camera’s field of view and audio recording capabilities

Before you fit the cameras, ensure you have tested the audio and video of the camera. Your camera must be capable of recording fabulous shots under discretion. Don’t install the cameras in hidden places without conducting a view test.

Make necessary adjustments to achieve the desired concealment

If you are not getting the desired results, you may adjust the camera’s view to achieve footage you want to see to catch the burglars.

Step 6 – Maintaining Privacy and Legal Compliance

Here are the steps to maintain privacy and legal compliance:

Be aware of privacy laws and regulations in your jurisdiction

Whether you belong to a law enforcement agency or not, you must be familiar with privacy laws and regulations in your jurisdiction. Ensure you capture images and videos that don’t affect others’ privacy. For this, you need to know the privacy laws before you take action.

Respect the privacy of others while using a body camera

Always respect others’ privacy when using wearable cameras. Stop making videos that can hurt others, and always know your limits before you collect pieces of evidence to punish the culprits. 

Consider obtaining consent or informing others about the body camera’s presence when necessary

Please seek permission from others before capturing videos and even photos. You may do this if your audience knows the camera’s position. 

Conclusion

Conclusively, we’ve gone through some mind-blowing steps to hide a camera. Above all steps, the main thing is to select the right camera before you plan to hide. Always look for accurate size, design, and placement options. Of course, clothing is the top choice to hide a camera, whereas buttons, ties, and hats play a key role. Moreover, a user should maintain privacy and cameras ethically without harming the public. For betterment, you must know the privacy laws and regulations to avoid issues.