Do you think nanny cams are for paranoid, extreme moms? Do you think surveillance camera systems are financially unattainable? Think again.

The Associated Press reported on a Jacksonville babysitter just a few days ago. Apparently, the family had cameras installed that caught the nanny swatting, slapping, and kicking their 11-month-old boy. A Duval County judge sentenced 53-year-old Jeannine Marie Campbell to eight years in prison. She pled guilty to abuse charges last month. Authorities were told by the parents that they installed a hidden camera after one of their children had a black eye. They called police after watching the video. The baby slapper reportedly told police she was mad at the parents and took it out on their child.

If that is not enough to convince you, I have another bit of news. According to the Observer Dispatch, A Utica caregiver woman was arrested after a hidden surveillance camera allegedly caught her stealing from the elderly, bedridden woman she was hired to care for. The caregiver took more than $2,000 from the bedridden woman’s purse.
Cynthia Sutherland, 40, pleads guilty to felony fourth-degree grand larceny in Oneida County Court. Evidently, she had worked for the victim for about a week before the theft.

Thankfully, I was able to from home while my children were young and have never been in the position to hiring unfamiliar caregivers. There were few years where my oldest son attended daycare. I was notorious for showing up midday, unannounced. On one of these occasions, I found the attendant screaming at the children. In fact, her tone was so nasty and loud it resulted in my NEVER returning. The owner desperately needed surveillance cameras, I’m just sayin’.

With the increase of school abductions, shootings, and bullying incidents around the country, our Church Day School developed a safety upgrade plan that included surveillance cameras. Serving on the committee, I learned that surveillance camera systems did not have to be expensive to be efficient. We purchased the security cameras system online at Polaris and were very pleased with the company. They offer numerous inexpensive yet effective systems as well as individual surveillance cameras.

In conclusion, surveillance cameras are something to be seriously considered. Had my life required hiring home caregivers, I would definitely have a surveillance system home. The news reports are proof; one never really knows whom they are dealing.