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#1504538 - 02/03/11 04:32 PM Cameras in Self Service Box area
heathern Offline
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Does anyone know if it is illegal to put a camera in the self service box area.

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Operations Compliance
#1504634 - 02/03/11 05:54 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area heathern
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I'm not sure what a self service box area is.....

Safe Deposit Box? It's an invasion of privacy.

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#1504635 - 02/03/11 05:54 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area heathern
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I'm not sure what a self service box area is.....

Safe Deposit Box? It's an invasion of privacy.

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#1504714 - 02/03/11 06:59 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area Pup
heathern Offline
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A self service box is like a safe deposit box, but the customer can access the box without a staff memeber. So are you saying that it is illegal under a privacy law? Thanks.

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#1504778 - 02/03/11 07:29 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area heathern
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Heathern, how does that work? Is it like one of the lockers at the bus station? How do you monitor and ensure the rightful owner is going into the box if no staff member verifies?

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#1504828 - 02/03/11 08:14 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area
heathern Offline
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The boxes are in a vault and similar to a safe deposit box. The customer rents a box and then has to have their hand scanned to get into the vault. Once inside the vault the customer has a key to access his or her box. That is why I was wondering if it was illegal to have a camera in that area. The reason would be to verify that a customer was accessing the correct box and the contents of the box.

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#1505086 - 02/04/11 02:07 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area heathern
1 Peter 5:7 Offline
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It seems to me that security cameras are advisable in any public area of the bank, and especially in areas where customers may be unaccompanied like in a self-service safe deposit box area.

Illegal? I doubt it. But you can always ask your bank counsel what your state law may say.
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#1505188 - 02/04/11 03:20 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area 1 Peter 5:7
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I don't see how it is any different from a Safe Deposit Box with regard to privacy. We can't even ask what is in the box. It is not legal for a customer to have certain things in there, but we can't ask if they are in there.

We are not allowed to have cameras inside the safe deposit box area because that would take away from the privacy to which the customer is entitled. Likewise, I'm sure that your customers are also entitled to the same privacy with regard to the Self Service Box area. Are you allowed to verify the contents of these boxes?

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#1505189 - 02/04/11 03:21 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area 1 Peter 5:7
John Burnett Offline
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A problem arises if the camera can capture an image of what's in a customer's safe deposit box. That would be as big a concern in a self-service venue as in the old-fashioned "coupon booth" environment. The bank should never put itself in the position of having such information.
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#1505196 - 02/04/11 03:27 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area John Burnett
heathern Offline
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I have always heard that it was illegal to have a camera in a safe deposit box area. The compliance department is now being questioned by management wanting to know what law, but I'm not finding anything online that says that it is illegal to have a camera in a safe (self-service) box area. I'm planning on letting them know that it is a liability for us (the bank) to know what is in the box, but to say it is illegal????? I can't point them anywhere.

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#1505204 - 02/04/11 03:34 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area heathern
John Burnett Offline
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Ask management to check with the bank's insurance/bonding carrier to see if it has a problem with the idea. There are pros and cons to the concept.
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#1505373 - 02/04/11 04:55 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area John Burnett
DD Regs Offline
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Somewhere in the middle
We had one in our Vault but it only showed who was going into the vault area, it did not cover the "coupon room" area.

Lockers were on one side of the vault, that is where the camara was focused, and the coupon rooms were on the other, no camaras there.

We could tell who went into the SDB vault and who opened the lockers, but it did not show what was being taken in or out of the boxes.
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#1505387 - 02/04/11 05:08 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area heathern
Elwood P. Dowd Offline
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"Why?" should be the question you resolve before you get to "Is it legal?"

FWIW, its been many years since there was a federal law regarding security in the safe deposit area. Self serve boxes did not even exist at that time; it would not have addressed this issue anyway.

As DD Regs notes, you might position the camera in such a way as to keep an informal record of who came and went. However, your management should not need a law or regulation to tell them that filming customers adding and removing things from their safe deposit boxes is just plain foolish. Safe deposit attendants are generally trained to avoid watching renters handle their property at all costs.

While any recording may be intended to "protect" the custodian, it's the first thing your customer will subpoena in the event of a "mysterious disappearance." Then it will either prove the case in favor of your bank or against it.
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#1506599 - 02/08/11 04:19 PM Re: Cameras in Self Service Box area Elwood P. Dowd
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Did I miss something on the news about this? In the last few weeks, we have had four (count 'em!) customers ask about whether or not we use cameras in our safe box vault.

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