“An item was stolen out of my vehicle in a parking garage in New York City. I contacted the garage and asked to see their surveillance video, but was denied of this request. Do I have the right to see this video? What are my options in pursuing the matter?”

You should file a police report about the theft and let the police know that the garage has videotapes that may contain evidence, but that the garage has thus far refused to show them to you. The police can then request them, or get a warrant for them if necessary. The garage may have other privacy or liability issues that it is concerned about, but it won’t be able to ignore a request from the police. You could certainly sue the garage and demand the videotape be turned over as evidence in the trial, but it would be faster and cheaper to let the police handle this.


Ray Everett-Church is a privacy and security consultant with PrivacyClue LLC and is co-author of "Internet Privacy for Dummies" Contact This Author

State laws vary, and the above is intended as general advice, and not direct legal advice regarding any one particular situation in any one state. For direct personal legal advice related to your own situation you should consult an attorney familiar with the laws of your state and with your situation.