Q: A product is missing, and I want to put up surveillance-can I do that?

A: Yes, you can put up surveillance cameras. To avoid potential problems, you should make employees/customers aware that video surveillance is occurring. You don’t have to put a big red arrow to the camera-just a notice like you see on company doors and in parking lots that the premises have video surveillance. Audio, rather than just pictures, is more complex and you should speak with your attorney before implementing any system that captures sound.

Think about access and retention policies. One huge issue is being able to recover the images if needed. It doesn’t do you any good if the surveillance can’t be retrieved.