Guide
Ask for the video this week
Quick answer
Surveillance systems overwrite. A written preservation request in the first days is often the difference between a clip and a shrug.
Retail and apartment cameras are not archives. Many keep 7–30 days. A polite written request to the owner or manager — date, time, location, camera if you saw one — starts a paper trail.
Name the area: “produce aisle 4, facing the misters, about 6:40 p.m.” Vague requests get vague replies.
If you later speak with an attorney, that letter is useful even if the business says no footage exists.
Educational information, not legal advice.