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hotel security
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Shelly
(new)
Feb 02, 2014 11:23AM
In my WIP, the suspect has an alibi in that he was a couple of states away staying at a hotel and didn't check out until the morning. Do all upscale hotels have security cameras? Do the room keys really record when the room is entered? Specifically, he was staying at the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago and I'd heard they only have security cameras in the lobby. How can I confirm this?
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Don't forget cameras on nearby stores, banks, shops as they often capture people/cars coming and going. Perhaps if your subject let slip he went into a 7-Eleven or bank or restaurant, a video can capture it.
Hope it helps, and please, any readers with knowledge in this area, chime in
Hey John,I'm not too up on hotel security, but from dealing with them from time-to-time when I was in the field, the more upscale and expensive they are, the more security they will have, including cameras. Many of them will have cameras on all entry/exit doors and possibly in stairwells and elevators. In the lower end hotels/motels, not so much. But, I agree with checking out nearby stores/restaurants/banks/ATMs/traffic cams for security cameras. Plus, in larger cities after 9-11, many of them placed cameras in many strategic positions around the city. However, Shelly, also keep in mind that depending on the hotel/store/restaurant, they may use the same tapes over and over and erase them every 24 hours, etc. Best if they are using digital cameras, but they are more expensive than videotape. Just some thoughts.
Larry
Thanks! I wrote the scene and my editor asked about the cameras. Since it's upscale, I wrote the security footage into the story.
No problem...and fyi - hotels use cameras not only to protect guests but to protect their own butts in potential civil litigation as well
