CSI Electronic Surveillance Systems 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which legal doctrine requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant before using a device that detects heat signatures inside a private home?
- Plain view doctrine
- Kyllo v. United States ruling (Correct answer)
- Terry v. Ohio stop-and-frisk standard
- Carroll doctrine
Correct answer: Kyllo v. United States ruling
The Supreme Court's Kyllo v. United States (2001) held that using thermal imaging to detect activity inside a home constitutes a Fourth Amendment search requiring a warrant.
Question 2: An IP camera with PoE (Power over Ethernet) capability means it:
- Requires a separate power supply unit
- Receives both data and electrical power through the network cable (Correct answer)
- Only operates on wireless networks
- Must be connected directly to a DVR
Correct answer: Receives both data and electrical power through the network cable
PoE technology allows a single Ethernet cable to simultaneously carry data and supply electrical power to the camera, simplifying installation.
Question 3: In video surveillance, 'looping' recordings refers to:
- Playing back footage in a continuous loop
- Overwriting the oldest footage when storage is full (Correct answer)
- Duplicating footage to a secondary drive
- Streaming footage to multiple monitors simultaneously
Correct answer: Overwriting the oldest footage when storage is full
Looping (or loop recording) automatically overwrites the oldest stored footage when storage capacity is reached, ensuring continuous recording.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a 'privacy mask' feature in surveillance camera software?
- To encrypt the video feed
- To block recording of specific areas within the camera's field of view (Correct answer)
- To hide the camera from view
- To prevent facial recognition software from functioning
Correct answer: To block recording of specific areas within the camera's field of view
Privacy masks are configurable zones within a camera's view that are blacked out in the recording, protecting areas where privacy must be maintained.
Question 5: Which technique do investigators use to correlate footage from multiple cameras to track a subject's movement through a facility?
- Triangulation mapping
- Video analytics stitching
- Forensic timeline reconstruction (Correct answer)
- Sweep correlation
Correct answer: Forensic timeline reconstruction
Forensic timeline reconstruction involves reviewing footage from multiple camera sources and chronologically sequencing appearances to establish a subject's path.
Question 6: A surveillance system using RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) is primarily designed for:
- Storing video to local hard drives
- Streaming live video over IP networks (Correct answer)
- Connecting analog cameras to digital recorders
- Compressing archived footage
Correct answer: Streaming live video over IP networks
RTSP is a network control protocol designed to establish and control media streaming sessions for live video delivery over IP networks.
Question 7: During a covert mobile surveillance operation, an investigator should avoid:
- Using multiple vehicles in rotation
- Maintaining a fixed following distance (Correct answer)
- Varying speed to match traffic flow
- Using commercially available cameras
Correct answer: Maintaining a fixed following distance
Maintaining a fixed following distance is a surveillance detection indicator; skilled subjects will notice a vehicle that consistently maintains the same gap.
CSI Electronic Surveillance Systems 3
Which legal doctrine requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant before using a device that detects heat signatures inside a private home?