I also have neighbour issues. Not as bad as yours, but they are near neighbors, we both own our homes, and they have a perpetually loose 100 lb GSD, several cats, teenagers and babies. My property has been damaged (and crapped on by their animals) more than once. Their visitors park in my driveway, then get verbally abusive if asked to move their cars.

I have the same problem and that is the burden of proof. (For example, I can't complain about dog poop in the front yard because even though I KNOW it was their dog, in theory it could have been anybody's dog. The cops show up AFTER the domestic and stuff broken and how can you prove anything).

What I would like to know is if anyone has any ideas for surveillance equipment. I would need something that can film outdoors and at night, and most importantly when I am not home. And saves it to a disk, tape, or computer (not just able to view live).

My neighbors are "all hooked up" with outdoor video cameras but I am not about to go and ask them what their set up is, LOL.

I have no clue when it comes to cameras so any suggestions welcome (hopefully this is not a hijack, because I believe this is what the OP needs to do as well).

RE: Surveillance equipment

Setting up an expensive, delicate and highly technical surveillance system is a pain, and isn't really what you need.

I generally recommend trial cameras, unless you need to surveil a very large area or need high levels of detail in the photo (i.e., license plate numbers, etc).
A good entry level model that I've used with some success in the past:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0057185418545a&type=product&cmCat=cchart_trail_cameras_

 Quote: angela burrell

Their visitors park in my driveway, then get verbally abusive if asked to move their cars.

Go buy a sign that says "No Parking Private Property" and keep it on hand. When they trespass and park on your property, tack it up in plain sight (it must be posted...), and call a tow truck. They can impound it and the car owners will have to pay to get it out.

Because I am nice, I would tell them I am about to have their car towed and give them a chance to move it...

This is what you could do here. I don't know about your laws... Ask the local police...

Alyssa, since you've used such a camera before, can you tell me what the detail level is like? For example, can you distinguish/recognize people in the pictures? Let's say someone breaks my fence or slashes my tires. Will I be able to tell who it is?

Also one thing I wasn't clear on from the website description is, will it take pictures automatically (such as if it senses motion) or do you have to take them manually?

 Quote: jessicakromer

 Quote: angela burrell

Their visitors park in my driveway, then get verbally abusive if asked to move their cars.

Go buy a sign that says "No Parking Private Property" and keep it on hand. When they trespass and park on your property, tack it up in plain sight (it must be posted...), and call a tow truck. They can impound it and the car owners will have to pay to get it out.

Because I am nice, I would tell them I am about to have their car towed and give them a chance to move it...

This is what you could do here. I don't know about your laws... Ask the local police...

Thanks for the advice, and I have actually had to resort to this at previous residences.

 Quote: Angela Burrell

Alyssa, since you've used such a camera before, can you tell me what the detail level is like? For example, can you distinguish/recognize people in the pictures? Let's say someone breaks my fence or slashes my tires. Will I be able to tell who it is?

Also one thing I wasn't clear on from the website description is, will it take pictures automatically (such as if it senses motion) or do you have to take them manually?

We have several game cameras as well as one that is a lot like the one in the link she gave.
It should be motion activated and will take a burst of photographs or a short video depending on the settings.

You should be able to easily recognize people in the pictures, I have no idea about the quality of the video, but I assume it would be about the same.

If you know who the person is, yes, you'll be able to identify it as being the person you know.

If the person is a stranger (as in someone you've never seen) it won't be very helpful.

Combined with common sense, ie, you already believe these people to be responsible, and a picture, yes, it would be helpful in identifying who is doing the property damage (which is how I've used it in the past). Placement will be critical, however.
If the person is too far from the camera, or facing away, then obviously it won't do much good to take pictures of their backside.

The camera is motion activated, just like a motion-sensing floodlight. The person will NOT know they are being photographed, BTW. The flash used at night is infrared, and invisable to the human eye.

One of the biggest selling points for me is that 1) it doesn't LOOK like a camera. Obvious surveillance equipment is asking for trouble (i.e., Gee, i wonder what they have that's so valuable that they need video equipment to keep it safe?).

2) Because it only takes pictures up to a distance of 40 feet, and is only triggered by motion, no court on the face of the earth is going to argue that a person trespassing on your property has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Examples of photos that can be taken with these sorts of cameras:

http://trailcam.com/photos/

Anyone with bad neighbors, there is a board called "neighbors from hell", borzotta hosts it. I suggest you go there- lots of resources and ideas on how to handle bad neighbors. Support too.

I want to thank everyone for their input. We haven't had any other problems as of yet but I am waiting. Definitely going to check that board out, Julie.