A client of mine would like to know which is the best camera for thermal infrared pot detection. He thinks his neighbor is growing pot and wants to prove it to the local authorities by using a thermal imager. Can anyone direct us to the right cameras for this job?
Posted in Cameras
He might be able to prove the roof’s hot, but he won’t be able to prove why!
The cops don’t even use thermal imaging for this… they just check the electricity usage.
It is actually now against the law for law enforcement to scan your house with a thermal camera unless they have a warrant. This was decided by the supreme court in KYLLO V. UNITED STATES (99-8508) 533 U.S. 27 (2001). This case involved the police using a thermal camera to scan the outside of a suspects house and upon noting that portions of his residence were hotter than others and hotter than surrouding structures they obtained a search warrant and found him to be growing pot. The supreme court decided that this was an invasion of privacy even though thermal infrared cameras cannot really see into someones house and only measure surface temperature differences. They decided this due to the fact that the technology was a specialized sensing technology not in the general public use it therefore constituted an invasion of the expectation of privacy. I am of course over simplifying but it seems that this case was the line drawn in the sand in anticipation of ever higher technologies that will eventually truly see into ones home. The camera used for this case was the Agema Thermovision 210 or Agema 110 handheld thermal imager (cant remember exactly which one).
So it is illegal for cops to use a thermal infrared camera on your neighbors suspected marijuana growing operation but is it illegal for a citizen to use it? I am not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice on that subject. I would suggest you contact a legal professional or the police to determine if a private citizen can use infrared cameras to search their neighbors house for a pot grow house operation.
HI,
As the person said in the earlier posting, the Agema 210 has been used for detecting the grow lights, If you see you can find used models at $1900.00, but its not called the AGEMA 210.. they call it the IR210S, however it is very effective and sensitive for this kind of application. Its an older unit but one of the best ones made.