Are videocameras legal in store changing rooms?

[Cat_Fight]

Prompted by tonight’s Family Guy. Are they legal in department stores? Boutiques? Illegal but stores put 'em in anyway? Doing a search, it seems they might be legal (in America, at least, I don’t know about Canada) as long as there’s no audio. Well, what’s the straight dope?

[Q.E.D]

From the website or a company specializing in installing video surveillance equipment:

It is your responsibly to check all State, Local and Federal Laws governing the use of Hidden Video Cameras before ordering hidden or covert video surveillance equipment. In most states, hidden video surveillance is legal, as long as it is not done in an area where reasonable privacy is expected. These areas include but are not limited to bathrooms, bedrooms and dressing rooms. Crimes or action that is video taped is usually admissible as evidence in court. In most states video surveillance does not require the consent of parties involved.

In some states, the use of audio recording or surveillance requires the consent of all parties involved. There are also various Federal and State Laws regulating the use, and possession, of some types of audio surveillance equipment. BrickHouse Security recommends that you check all State, Local and Federal Laws regarding the use of Hidden Video Spy Cameras with audio.

Some states do allow video surveillance of employee-only changing rooms and the like, provided that employees are notified that surveillance is taking place.

[Tim_T-Bonham.net]

Everyplace I’ve seen 'em, I’ve also seen a notice posted outside the dressing rooms, notifying customers of them.

I don’t know if this is required by law, but it probably could be used in court: ‘notice was provided beforehand, so the customer could decline to use the changing room if they objected’.

I doubt that most states have any laws specifically for this situation. So a customer would have to try to get the store security staff charged under the general ‘peeping tom’ laws. In most states, such laws have language like ‘peeping for the purpose f sexual gratification’. I’d think it would be hard to convince a local D.A. to charge the securit staff at a store under this.

[Mahaloth]

So let me get this straight, there actually might be people watching me undress in the changing room?

How do they make sure the security team doesn’t consist of a bunch of perverts who go back and watch the “girly” tapes every night?

[SmackFu]

Here in CT, it is explicitly illegal:

Sec. 53-41a. Surveillance devices in dressing rooms prohibited. No department or clothing store shall install or in any manner use a closed-circuit television system, a two-way mirror, a peephole or any other surveillance device, including any mechanical device in any dressing room available to the public. Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than three months or both.

Also in RI, which is where Family Guy is set:

No person who owns or operates a retail mercantile establishment as defined in § 11-41-20(a)(6) which sells clothing to the public shall maintain in any dressing room on the premises any two-way mirror or electronic video camera or any similar device capable of filming or projecting an image of a person inside the dressing room or booth. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars ($100).

Note that what Quagmire was doing would probably not be covered under this law.