CONCORD (AP) -- A man who was arrested after he used his home security system to videotape police at his door last year has inspired a bill to let property owners record audio and video at their homes without notice.
Michael Gannon, 40, of Nashua, was arrested after his home security camera made video and audio recordings of detectives who had come looking for his teenage son. The felony wiretapping charges were later dropped. Gannon was arrested after he brought the recordings to the police station to complain that a detective was rude to him. Police later returned Gannon's cameras and recording equipment, but did not give back the tapes, saying they were illegal. Last week, Rep. Dudley Dumaine, R-Auburn, and five other sponsors introduced House Bill 97, which would add an exception to the state's wiretap law, letting property owners record their own premises, with or without warning. "It's just common sense," Dumaine said. "I can't picture anybody not believing that it's okay to protect your property." He said despite working as a police officer in Keene and a private investigator, he wasn't aware of the wiretap law.
