Video cameras have caught baby sitters mistreating children at least twice this month, most recently in Chicago, according to authorities.
But although the hidden cameras appear to have served their intended purpose in those situations, police and child care experts emphasized that the best way for parents to protect their children is to properly screen candidates for nanny and baby-sitting jobs before hiring someone.
"Anytime that a family feels that there might be an issue and they install (a camera), nine out of 10 times it's too late," said Guy Maddalone, author of "How to Hire a Nanny."
On Thursday, a Chicago nanny was charged with aggravated battery after she allegedly was caught by a hidden camera choking and shaking a 15-month-old girl.
Also Thursday, a woman in Ohio was convicted, based on video captured by a hidden camera, of smothering the children she was baby-sitting to stop them from crying. Earlier this month, a Long Island nanny was charged after video allegedly showed her drugging an infant to keep the girl quiet.
While emphasizing the importance of background checks, Maddalone and Wendy Sachs, co-president of the International Nanny Association, said parents shouldn't hesitate to install cameras if it makes them feel more comfortable. The child care provider should be told about the cameras during the job interview, they said.
"It shouldn't be viewed as something that's terrible or scary," Sachs said. "There's nothing wrong with saying to a nanny that we have surveillance cameras and that's the way we evaluate your job performance, because you're performing your job and your duties and your responsibilities without us being around."
Although it's legal to install a hidden video camera in a home to monitor a child care provider, it might not be ethical, said Harold J. Krent, dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law.
"I think it's a sign of respect," Krent said. "You wouldn't want a nanny to work there if they felt uncomfortable that they were being videotaped."
Rhyder McClure, owner of the New York NannyCam Co., said he only sells cameras that are meant to be installed in plain view because hidden cameras often are discovered, causing nannies and baby sitters to feel they aren't trusted.
But managers at two Chicago stores that sell surveillance equipment said hidden cameras — disguised as everything from DVD players to air purifiers — are among their top-selling items.
Hilda Madrigal, sales manager at Total Security in the Edison Park neighborhood, said she's never had a customer who planned on telling a nanny about a video camera.
Even if parents tell an in-home employee about cameras, they shouldn't be surprised if the cameras turn up evidence of misbehavior, said Perry Myers, president of the Chicago-based U-Spy Store chain.
"Frankly, people do things in front of cameras," Myers said. "Despite the fact that there are cameras, they either forget about them or they don't think you're watching them."
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rhaggerty@tribune.com
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