Seems some guy went out and bought himself a wireless camera for home security and after installing it he managed to accidentally pick up signals from a similar wireless camera in another home. As a result he suddenly became witness to child abuse by a foster mother.

local6.com - News - Alleged Child Abuse Caught On Neighbor’s Wireless Cam

The neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, bought a wireless surveillance camera for his home security. After he installed it, the camera ended up getting a signal from a different wireless camera in a nearby house.

The man saw two young children holding their hands in the air for more than an hour. He then put a tape in and began recording as a woman entered the room and hit one of the children in the chest.

Later, the woman was filmed returning to the room and hitting the other girl with a stick.

The man called police, who then went door-to-door until they found the woman. She turned out to be a foster mother.

This is one of those news items that is interesting on a number of different levels. First it shows how new technologies will continue to impact our lives in unexpected ways as they gain greater acceptance and presence in our lives. To say that they can be a mixed blessing is obviously an understatement. I bet the foster parents never thought their wireless camera would end up backfiring on them. You can see footage from the camera at the link above.

Secondly this is another in a series of stories I’ve read recently about foster parents abusing the kids in their care. Could someone please explain to me why the hell there seems to be so many abusive foster families out there? Why the hell are these people taking in these kids if they’re just going to get pissed and treat them like shit?

Thirdly it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in court. I suspect the defense attorneys will try to claim that the wireless broadcast shouldn’t be allowed as evidence as it wasn’t intended to be a public broadcast. I also suspect the prosecution will argue that the stupidity of the defendants on the ramifications of installing a wireless camera is of no consequence. The broadcast was there and happened to be witnessed.