Can I Send Dash Cam Video to the Police? You might already know by now the purpose of a Dash Cam and what it is installed for in your vehicle. If you are new here, well Dash Cams are here to protect you and record evidence under many difficult circumstances. It could be an accident near you while you are driving, recording passengers in a ride-share car, recording footage of license plates, collisions, reckless drivers, and much more.
Even if you haven’t come across any such instances yet while being on the road, there is no guarantee that it might not happen at all. Even if your car is parked, it might be as safe as you think and these cams are here to stay. This footage might only be of best use if you send it to the Police to report any crime.
However, there are multiple aspects to cover here before you can take any such step. Let us learn more about this.
Can I Send Dash Cam Video to the Police?
The main question here that arises in front of you is whether or not you can send the dash cam footage to the Police or the cops. Well, the answer is yes, you can do so. However, it is important to understand as well under what circumstances you should be taking the necessary steps.
If you have met with an accident, the dash cam footage is going to help you catch or at least identify the culprits behind the entire scenario. Another situation where the videos might be of good help is when certain belongings have been stolen from your car or anywhere near your house. This works pretty well in getting hold of the people responsible.
To add more here, if you are a rideshare driver and have installed an inside view dash cam, the footage seems to be of great help overall. There have been multiple cases in the country where the passengers have misbehaved and posed abusive towards the driver and everything had been caught on the camera whilst they were on the ride. In such circumstances, you can charge the person responsible and save yourself from any false charges put upon you.
Also Read: Best Anti Theft Dash Cam | How Long Do Dash Cameras Record For? | Can Dash Cam Get You Card Insurance Discount?
Should I Submit the Dash cam Video to the Police?
Now, a lot of you might have this question as well in your mind whether you should send the video or not to the police. Yet again, the entire aspect brings down to the circumstances and the situation you have been caught into.
In certain scenarios such as theft, burglary, collision, accident, vandalism, etc, you can without a doubt prove yourself innocent or even bring the guilty to the police. Only if you are absolutely sure about these situations should you be taking the drastic step. Once the video has been sent to the police it will be further investigated and there is no turning back.
Now, the situation that you need to avoid sending the video to the police is when you might be in harm’s way as well. Such as if you have had a collision with another car and you are the reason that the situation occurred in the first place, the entire blame might shift onto you and the entire video footage will backfire.
The same goes for a parking ticket as well where even if someone might have accidentally hit your car and you are willing to hold someone responsible, the no parking zone issue might put you at risk. Hence it all depends on which way you are going with it and how you wish to take things forward.
Do you have to send the original footage to the police?
Yes, you are required to send the unedited and raw footage from your dash cam to the police. You can either email the file or upload it to your respective authorities based on whichever country or state you belong to.
Once you are done uploading the footage or the video to the police, make sure you still have the original file in case you may need it in the future for verification. The entire process along with police verification of the described scenario by the person concerned will take some time during which you will need to keep patience and be aware.
How to Submit Your Dash Cam Footage To The Police or Insurance Company?
It entirely depends on the situation you are in. If your car is insured and you have met with an accident, you can take your video footage in an external storage device and take it to the insurance company. Similarly, under other circumstances such as Theft, etc, you can take it to the police.
Here are a lot of aspects that need to be taken into account before you make any such decision. Make sure to hire a lawyer and consult them before submitting any file to the police or the insurance company so that it does not cause you any harm whatsoever. Furthermore, it is advisable to not post the footage anywhere on Social Media before any action has been taken.
You might have come across multiple such videos circulating on social media. However, these are posted only by verified authorities and then spread over by other people to spread awareness.
There are several ways you can choose to submit the footage. Firstly, you will be required to retrieve the video file from your Dash Cam to your computer. If the dash cam has a Wifi connection you can easily get it directly on your smartphone. Or else, simply use the SD card from the Dash Cam and retrieve the selected file from it. Here are a few ways you can choose to submit the footage.
- Send the Video file to your insurer via Post. It will require you to burn the file on a disc or simply transfer it to a safe to use a memory card and then send it to a respective address.
- Reduce the size of the file or compress it and send it via email or create a Google Drive. (If your insurer allows it)
- To send the file to the police, you can go to their respective official site and upload the file.
- You can also take the external drive to the local police authorities for the same.
- Send the video file via your phone through the officially installed Dash Cam App.
Here are only a few of these methods you can try. Based on where you are living currently, you can look up the rules and regulations and make the decision likewise.
