CST Evidence Export & Timestamping 3

Question 1

A surveillance technician exports footage using proprietary DVR software that requires a viewer application to play back. What is the key concern for legal proceedings?

Accepted Answer

The court may not have or accept the proprietary player, limiting accessibility

Answer

Proprietary formats require specific software to view, which may not be available to opposing counsel or the court, potentially challenging admissibility.

Question 2

During evidence export, the technician notices the footage contains visible on-screen timestamp burns. Why is this still insufficient without additional documentation?

Accepted Answer

On-screen timestamps can be fabricated or reflect an uncalibrated internal clock

Answer

On-screen timestamps reflect the DVR's internal clock, which may be inaccurate, requiring external time verification and documentation of any discrepancy.

Question 3

What is the purpose of exporting a slightly wider time window (e.g., 10 minutes before and after an incident) than strictly necessary?

Accepted Answer

To capture pre-incident and post-incident context that may be relevant

Answer

Exporting extra footage before and after an incident captures context such as suspect approach, escape routes, or witness behavior that may be critical.

Question 4

Which action should a technician take FIRST when arriving to export evidence from a DVR at a crime scene?

Accepted Answer

Photograph the DVR display showing current date and time alongside a reference clock

Answer

Photographing the DVR clock display next to a reference clock immediately documents the time discrepancy before any changes occur.

Question 5

An NVR exports footage in MP4 format. A colleague suggests converting it to AVI 'for compatibility.' What is the correct response?

Accepted Answer

Do not convert; transcode only a working copy and preserve the original MP4 as evidence

Answer

Converting recompresses the video, altering the original data; the original export must be preserved untouched while working copies can be transcoded.

(CST) Certified Surveillance Technician Practice Test

(CST) Certified Surveillance Technician Practice Test

CST Evidence Export & Timestamping 3