The topic of spy cameras came up at the Monday night council meeting. The borough recently installed application upgrades to the existing camera system in place at various locations around town.

A recent suicide incident in which a York County man drove his car into the river at River Park was captured by the camera(s) at the park according to the mayor; the digital files were shared with York County law enforcement agencies.

The mayor also stated that two of the cameras recently purchased are mobile and will be situated in “hot spots” or areas of high crime across the community. Those areas were not identified.

A discussion among councilors led to the issue of the efficacy of the cameras at night. The upgrade included capability of enhanced night vision or low-light vision capability. One Website of comments says this about night vision capability:

“Human beings have several great attributes, but seeing in the dark is not one of them. But CCTV Cameras can! Many CCTV Cameras now have the ability to project infrared light using an array of LED illuminators. When this capability is combined with CCD sensors capable of recording the infrared light, you achieve what is referred to as night vision. CCTV security cameras with night vision capabilities allow you to see in total darkness. Many night vision cameras are capable of producing detailed video regardless of lighting conditions. When required, night vision security cameras automatically switch to infrared mode without the need of human intervention.”

The military has been using low-light vision devices for decades; the technology engages the enhancement of available light sources. Recent developments incorporate infrared lighting sources or resources into the system which has improved the imagery produced.

Arguably, the best low-light technology is in the hands of the military; but here’s a youtube video that show how to make a  personal low-light spy camera system out of an old cell phone:

… and “Around 50% of people can ‘see in the dark” without IR devices.