Please help! Need evidence I was home during accused hit and run. BI clips much shorter than selected length.

nowandthen

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Today I received a letter from the Police Department claiming I was involved in a hit and run. They list the date and approximate time. With my Video Surveillance recordings, I can prove I arrived home before that time and did not leave until the next morning (if I export clips from all night long :) ). I can also prove, perhaps to a lesser degree with my home security alarm log showing when I disarmed the alarm. However, taken together, and I think it's clear I was not at the location at that time. Could add iPhone GPS data if I must, but I don't think I have to go there. And, there is no damage to any of my vehicles.

I want to be ready with evidence in case they claim I was there and was involved.

So... I'm having a problem exporting a clip that shows me arriving home before the incident and still there (did not leave) past the time they claim I was involved in the accident. I have exported clips before. Right click, select Start Clip, move to end of desired clip (happens to be the end of the clip), right click, and select end clip. The start and end points are shown on the time line by a green and red indicator respectfully. I right click and select export clip. The selected clip length is approximately 1 hour and 1 minute. It takes a good 15 - 20 minutes if not more to export the clip. However, when I play back the exported clip, it is only the beginning of the clip and is only about 4 minutes in length.

Any idea what may be truncating the playback of the full selected clip?

I've done this 3 times and the clip only ends up being a little over 4 minutes long.Screen Cap of Clip Recording Settings.JPGScreen cap of start clip time.JPGScreen cap of end clip time.JPG
 

mat200

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Today I received a letter from the Police Department claiming I was involved in a hit and run. They list the date and approximate time. With my Video Surveillance recordings, I can prove I arrived home before that time and did not leave until the next morning (if I export clips from all night long :) ). I can also prove, perhaps to a lesser degree with my home security alarm log showing when I disarmed the alarm. However, taken together, and I think it's clear I was not at the location at that time. Could add iPhone GPS data if I must, but I don't think I have to go there. And, there is no damage to any of my vehicles.

I want to be ready with evidence in case they claim I was there and was involved.
..
Hi @nowandthen

This is what I would recommend:

1) Backup the data.
2) Contact a lawyer to defend yourself. Do not talk to the police, have your lawyer do it for you.

note - a proper chain of custody may need to be formed for your evidence.
 

fenderman

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As noted, backup the bvr file to several other drives.
how large is this clip?
 

bp2008

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I think Blue Iris does something a little wrong with its MP4 encoding. I exported some 60 minute clips to MP4 some months ago and some video players, notably the Movies & TV player built in to Win10, and VLC both showed different durations that were a lot shorter than the true 60 minutes. mpv.io was able to play the full 60 minutes. But to get the MP4s into a format other people could use without the player they'd never heard of, I had to use ffmpeg to remux. That is, I had it read in the MP4 produced by BI, and output a new MP4. If you do this, make sure to tell ffmpeg to COPY the video stream (and audio if applicable), not to re-encode it. For that matter you should not have Blue Iris re-encode the stream either.
 

nowandthen

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The entire BI clip is 2 hours and 2 minutes (3.9GB in the calendar window, about 4.1GB in the folder). This is around the time I converted from BI4 to BI5. It lost most of the clips that BI 4 had recorded. I moved the BI4 clips from www/4 to www/5 but they still had issues. I rebuilt the data base and the calendar showed the older clips. I can't say exactly when that happened. But I think these are BI5 clips.

I've never used a lawyer for legal issues. Is it worth a call to the investigator for some basic information? I wouldn't admit to anything. How on earth do you choose a lawyer?
 

nowandthen

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My concern is, if I get a lawyer, that implies guilt, at least that's how I think the cops will view it. If their time is correct, there is no doubt, based on my video evidence, that I was not there.

Files copied to multiple locations.
 

fenderman

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My concern is, if I get a lawyer, that implies guilt, at least that's how I think the cops will view it. If their time is correct, there is no doubt, based on my video evidence, that I was not there.

Files copied to multiple locations.
Try going to the alleged location of the accident and see if any homes/businesses had surveillance. I see this happened a week ago, so there should be footage available.
Did the letter include a summons for leaving the scene? You can file an opra request or with most departments just go down there and get a copy of the police report that may provide you with more information.
 

nowandthen

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Thanks fenderamn, that 's a good idea. I'm going to try getting a copy of the police report.
 

nowandthen

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Something about playing it back on my BI PC. When I move the file to my desktop PC it plays the full length..
 

nowandthen

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@YrbkMgr Thanks. I have no idea who to call, but it I need to find someone to represent me.
 

windguy

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@nowandthen - Sorry to hear about your troubles. Obviously the police have made a mistake, but the question is why?
Did they identify which of your registered vehicles was involved in this accident?
The only path for the police to find you would be through a license plate off your vehicle and then your registration. How else would they know it was you?
Was it a hit/run to another vehicle, property, person?
Get a copy of the police report. Does the report show your full license plate number and vehicle description provided by an eye witness or a camera?
My guess is it's a partial and the police are on a fishing expedition to find the real person. You are one of many they contacted.
Don't forget that you are innocent until proven guilty. I can understand how upsetting this can be.
One thought, how about contacting your insurance company to get their advice. Might be worth a call to see what services they offer.
Best of luck!
 

nowandthen

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I haven't contacted the police yet. I know nothing about the incident other than the letter claiming I was involved in a hit and run and I failed to stop and give my insurance information. I'd like to see the police report but not sure I should contact them yet. I think I'll get the advice of a lawyer.

In the video, I'm shown checking my mail box at 15:36 and the letter said I was involved at "approximately 15:40".

Thanks for all the advice.
 

sebastiantombs

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On a side note, try using UI3 to export the clip as an AVI.

Rule for dealing with the police -

1 - Don't talk to them in this kind of circumstance.
2 - Don't volunteer ANY information.
3 - Contact an attorney, it is your right and does not imply guilt, it implies enough intelligence to protect your rights.
 

nowandthen

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They play OK on my other PC using ZoomPlayer. I'll make a note of your suggestion (UI3 and AVI). Thanks.

Lawyer appointment made, Monday afternoon. I'll post back when I know more.

Thanks everyone!
 

wittaj

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Something similar happened to a friend of mine - except it wasn't a hit and run, it was armed robbery of a bank.

Police raided his home at night and pulled him from bed and cuffed him and took him to the station for questioning/booking.

Upon looking at the footage of him robbing the bank and seeing the getaway vehicle he said - "that is a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I have just the Jeep Cherokee". Police do nothing except process him.

Attorney convinces police to go back to his house and sure enough the front plate was missing from his vehicle (he lives in a two plate state).

They then get him from jail to access his videos - sure enough the day of the robbery a Jeep Grand Cherokee pulls down his street and stole the front plate.

I don't know if it applies to you, but look and see if you are missing a plate. Someone may have stole yours to put on a stolen similar vehicle.
 

bpsmicro

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Since when do police send letters advising of a crime? A "warning letter" for a relatively minor traffic offense maybe. But a hit & run? Seems to me they'd be paying a personal visit.
Before going too far, ask yourself whether this letter is even legit. What is this letter asking you to do?
 

nowandthen

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It's on "official looking" letterhead. It lists the police station phone number which is correct, and it asks that I call the investigating officer. His number is similar to the main number. Main number ends 4700, his number is 47?? (I don't recall the two digits, the letter is at home). The first 6 numbers are the same. I thought about it being a scam, but I don't want to call the number. I'll pay a lawyer to look into it. That way I'm not directly interacting with anyone until the lawyer tells me what to do.

I take full responsibility for my actions. If I hit someone, I would stop.

Will see how the lawyer wants to proceed. I'm sure the lawyer will be getting a copy of the police report. He finds its a scam, 'll consider it money well spent either way.
 
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Today I received a letter from the Police Department claiming I was involved in a hit and run. They list the date and approximate time.
Hold on a moment - you got a letter claiming you were involved in a hit and run? Not an actual visit by an officer? First of all, find out if that letter is legitimate, or that if you are being scammed. Call the police to confirm if this letter is even real. If it is, then get a lawyer, but it already doesn't pass the smell test.

Second, call your insurance company. I can assure you that they are just as motivated in proving your innocence as you are. They may have some helpful advice for you, including a legal referral.

Third, a license plate by itself is pretty much meaningless. I've assisted residents in the past with my LPR system, and one thing I've learned is that a bystander will get the license plate wrong 9 out of 10 times. Is there any description of your vehicle included with the letter?
 
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It's on "official looking" letterhead. It lists the police station phone number which is correct, and it asks that I call the investigating officer. His number is similar to the main number. Main number ends 4700, his number is 47?? (I don't recall the two digits, the letter is at home). The first 6 numbers are the same. I thought about it being a scam, but I don't want to call the number. I'll pay a lawyer to look into it. That way I'm not directly interacting with anyone until the lawyer tells me what to do.

I take full responsibility for my actions. If I hit someone, I would stop.

Will see how the lawyer wants to proceed. I'm sure the lawyer will be getting a copy of the police report. He finds its a scam, 'll consider it money well spent either way.
Anyone with a color laser printer and high-quality stationery can create "official looking" letterhead in about 10 minutes. Check online - is the investigating officer actually a member of the local PD?

But if the letter is real, my suspicion is that the officer has already checked the DMV database, noted that the description of the vehicle in the hit-and-run doesn't match your vehicle description, and is following through to be on the safe side, just in case your plate was stolen. If he truly thought you were involved in a hit-and-run, he'd be personally visiting you to see if your vehicle was damaged.

Regardless, I'd still call your insurance company before hiring a lawyer.
 
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