FREQUENTLY ASKED COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
If you've spotted a mobile surveillance trailer with a blue light near your home or business, you may be wondering, "What does this mean for me?"
This page is here to address your concerns and clear up any possible misconceptions.
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A mobile surveillance trailer, sometimes called a security tower, lot cop, security trailer, or surveillance unit, is a flexible and powerful security tool built to offer continuous monitoring at different locations. These trailers feature high-definition cameras, often paired with thermal imaging, for thorough coverage.
Virtual boundaries are set on-site, and any breach activates predefined protocols, such as immediate police response, as determined by the business owner.
Only authorized personnel have access to the live camera feed, including our secure, US-based monitoring team (U.S. Monitoring).
Access for other individuals—such as event organizers, city officials, business owners, HOA presidents, site estimators, heads of security, or law enforcement—is determined by the trailer's owner. Each person is assigned a secure password with varying levels of access. Monitoring may not always be 24/7, and is often focused on periods with limited activity or high theft risk.
What happens after an event is triggered depends on the trailer's owner. Possible responses include:
Some trailers simply record footage for later review. All trailers use Axis® cameras, are NDAA compliant, and feature encrypted, secure feeds to prevent unauthorized access.
No, our trailers do not record audio. Many states have strict laws against audio recording in public places, so as a rule, microphones are not activated.
While newer trailers do come equipped with microphones, they are only used upon the owner's request—typically on job sites for communication with workers—and only when it complies with local laws. The loudspeaker on all trailers is for talk-down communication only.
Only if the trailer owner specifically grants them access. Local law enforcement don't automatically have access to the camera feeds just because the trailer is in their jurisdiction. If the owner chooses to provide access, they can do so through Deploy Surveillance. However, in the case of an investigation, footage may be provided to law enforcement as part of the process.
Even without access, police can still be alerted to emergencies. For example, if a car is broken into and the owner has set that as a trigger event, our monitoring center will immediately dispatch the police.
The trailer may have been placed for several reasons, such as increased incidents of theft, vandalism, illegal dumping, or at the request of local businesses or community groups. In some cases, trailers are set up for insurance purposes, or to assist companies with workman’s comp claims, ensuring the proper use of PPE and safety protocols on site.
If you have any concerns, we encourage you to reach out to the property owner or community leader responsible for the trailer's placement.
The cameras are set up to detect and deter suspicious or illegal activity, not to monitor private property. Before activation, virtual boundaries are established to focus solely on high-risk areas as identified by the trailer’s owner. Privacy zones are set for residences and businesses outside those areas.
Deploy Surveillance has strict policies to ensure that private property is not filmed, and we take care to position cameras away from private areas whenever possible.
If you have concerns about a camera facing your property, please contact us immediately at info@deploysurveillance.com.
The duration depends on the trailer’s purpose. For new developments or construction projects, trailers are typically in place for the duration of the project, then moved to the next site. In cases like illegal dumping, deployments can last for several years.
Most Deploy Surveillance trailer contracts start with a minimum of one year, though shorter-term contracts as brief as three months are possible depending on the situation.
As long as we are in an area that doesn't require the generator, our trailers operate fully green with zero emissions. If we are in an area that does need our generator, it only runs during adverse weather conditions and temporarily, so emissions remain very low.
Our solar-powered systems are designed for silent operation. In areas that require a backup generator (most do not), we utilize a very quiet generator that is only used momentarily to top up the batteries.
In terms of light pollution, our surveillance cameras use infrared light instead of visible light for nighttime visibility, keeping light pollution from the cameras to zero. The only visible light will be the flashing blue light, which serves to notify anyone present that surveillance cameras are in use.
Our trailers generate minimal electromagnetic fields (EMF). Specifically, the power system operates on DC power, producing almost no electric field (E-Field) or magnetic field (H-Field) inside the trailer—registering at 0 V/m for E-Field and 0 mG for H-Field.
Our cellular modems, similar to cell phones, are mounted in the head unit, 23.5 feet above the ground. During an EMF test, the E-Field measured only 5 V/m, and the H-Field measured 2.9 mG from 36 inches away from the head unit. At ground level, 18 feet below the head unit, both fields registered at 0.
These readings indicate that our trailers will not interfere with medical equipment and remain well below any levels that could pose health concerns.
For comparison:
If it seems like an emergency, call 911 or local law enforcement immediately. For concerns regarding the trailer itself, please contact us at 385-354-6200 or info@deploysurveillance.com.
If you believe an incident has occurred within the trailer’s surveillance area that affects you, your personal property, or your business, feel free to reach out, and we will assist you as best we can within the established protocols of the trailer’s owner and local law enforcement.
