History Main / DestroyTheSecurityCamera

* ''Film/HardBoiled'': Right before breaking out of Johnny's weapons vault, the first thing Tequila Yuen did to intimidate Johnny is to blast the security camera in the vault with his shotgun. In a later scene, the infamous [[TheOne long take]] shootout against Johnny's men, Tequila shoots another security camera after shooting a mook, this time via silenced pistol.

Not to be confused with CameraAbuse. If done to prevent detection in the first place, this usually involves an InsecurityCamera, as proper security setups should have multiple cameras covering one another's blind spots. Can overlap with ComputerEqualsMonitor, for when someone destroys the output end of a security system to try to disable it.

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* In ''Film/HotFuzz'', Nick ||employs the local schoolchildren to paint over the town's cameras for his return to Sandford so the Watch won't spot him until he's well into town.||

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[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

* In Chapter 5 of ''VisualNovel/NewDanganronpaV3'', Kokichi uses one of Miu's {{EMP}} bombs to shut down all the electronics nearby, including [[spoiler:the nanobots filming everything]] that the Mastermind uses to keep tabs on everyone, to deliberately obfuscate who the culprit and victim are so not even Monokuma will know, nullifying the game. [[spoiler:It doesn’t work]].

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* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': A [[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2001-05-24 boarding party]] teleports between enemy lines and starts shooting out the many, many security cameras to hide their approach from the terrorists in the command center. One of the terrorists immediately recognizes the pattern; the other...
-->'''Tro:''' And there goes the 100-meter camera along the same approach. And now the 75 is gone. Oops! And the 50! This is annoying. We won't know if anyone is sneaking up on us.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': In "Ben 10 vs. the Negative 10: Part 1", [[HollywoodAcid Acid]] [[BreathWeapon Breath]] of the Circus Freaks takes out a security camera with, well, his acid breath.

* ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters2'': In the first level, Siberia, you need to shoot the security cameras to disable them so you don't get detected and sound the alarm.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', part of [[AcePilot Joker's]] rebellion against having to co-pilot the Normandy with an AI involves smothering [[SpaceshipGirl EDI's]] security cameras with grease so that (in his words) "everything looks like a dream sequence." [[spoiler: Considering they can [[HilariousInHindsight potentially end up a couple in the third game,]] this [[GaussianGirl may not have had the effect he wanted]] at the time.]]

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' - in [[Recap/BabylonFiveS05E19TheWheelOfFire The Wheel Of Fire]], when Garabaldi goes to talk to Lyta, she uses her TouchedByVorlons ability to destroy a camera in her holding cell.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIIFinalMix'', when Xenmas comes to visit Aqua's armor and Keyblade in a secret room of Hollow Bastion's castle, he blasts a camera that spots him putting in the password to the room.

This trope is when a character shoots or otherwise destroys a security camera. This is done to prevent guards, the police, or homeowners to either watch their activities or from detecting them in the first place.

While most of the time done by shooting the camera, other versions exist, like cutting a wire or painting over the lens.

* In ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', when Fagin's dogs sneak into Mr. Sykes' warehouse to rescue Jenny and Oliver, they get spotted by one of Sykes' security cameras. Tito chews the wires to shut off the camera but gets electrocuted as a result.

This trope is when a character shoots, or otherwise destroys a security camera. This is done to prevent guards, the police, or houseowners to either watch their activities, or from detecting them in the first place.

While most of the time done by shooting the camera, other versions exist, like cutting a wire, or painting over the lens.

* In ''Anime/{{Promare}}'', Lio, Galo and Aina watch old security camera footage of [[spoiler:Kray murdering Dr. Prometh by shooting him in the head]]. He then slowly turns to the viewers and fires another shot, causing the feed to go dead. It's unknown exactly what he hoped to achieve by doing this, given that he shot the camera after he was filmed [[spoiler:committing murder]], and the recording was clearly never erased.

* In ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', when Fagin's dogs sneak into Mr. Sykes' warehouse to rescue Jenny and Oliver, they get spotted by one of Sykes' security cameras. Tito chews the wires to shut off the camera, but gets electrocuted as a result.

* In the beginning of ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' the crew is robbing a bank and there's a brief shot of Zoe shooting a security camera as they walk in guns drawn.

* The Nintendo 64 ''VideoGame/GoldenEye'' game will have you doing this quite a bit, as if you're spotted on a security camera, the alarm will sound and everybody and their brother is going to be after you.

* In ''VideoGame/InvisibleInc'', it is possible to disable security cameras by shooting them, but it's usually better to disable them by electronic means, because bullets are hard to come by (most people in this futuristic setting use energy weapons, which can't be used to shoot the cameras).
* ''VideoGame/TheJoyOfCreationReborn'': Like most ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' fangames, you have access to security cameras in the Office level.. Unlike most fangames however, you risk having those cameras punched out by Ignited Bonnie if you [[DontLookAtMe stare at him for too long]].

* Defied in ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever'' as it's pointed out that shooting out a security camera to avoid being noticed will have the opposite result: the guards will investigate the shot out camera and possibly be on high alert. Played straight in the sequel as Cate will be given a gun-like device that shoots special bullets, one of which is a camera jammer of the type that records and plays back footage on a loop.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'': Security cameras can be detached from some walls by putting portals behind them. This does not hide you from [=GLaDOS=], and in fact she will immediately comment on it, telling you to not to destroy vital testing apparatus. There is an achievement for destroying every camera that it's possible to destroy.

* There is a vigilante group in [[UsefulNotes/TheNetherlands Holland]] dedicated to destroying speed cameras erected at the roadside. A legitimate criticism of such cameras is that their primary purpose is not road safety or driver education re speed: that a device which clearly photographs number plates, and can follow this through with a fine via the driver's letter box, is just another way to tax road users. In Holland, protest groups have set up to find clandestine and creative ways to destroy the cameras, or at the very least to render them unusable. Gambits have included squirting expanding insulating foam inside the works, or deliberately sabotaging the shutter mechanisms with superglue. When all else fails, use of angle-grinders to cut the poles and bring them crashing down has been tried. Cameras have been left undamaged, but deliberately turned to face away from the road and into bushes where they might photograph speeding birds. This form of protest began in the Netherlands and has spread to Germany, France, Britain and the USA.
* There's a StupidCrooks story about a thief who planned to break into a place, but noticed a pair of security cameras watching the target. So, he took a ladder and tools, climbed up, and unscrewed the connections. What makes this a StupidCrooks story is that he worked on the cameras while looking right into them, giving the security guards a very helpful closeup.

* ''Film/StarWarsANewHope'' shows Luke, Han and Chewie pull the old TrojanPrisoner trick to get into the detention block, seeking to free the Princess. While Han and Luke focus on taking out the Imperial {{mooks}}, Chewie makes a point of obliterating the many cameras and sensors. He's so thorough that an officer has to ask about their status over an intercom.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'': Security cameras can be detached from some walls by putting portals behind them. This does not hide you from [=GLaDOS=], and in fact she will immediately comment on it, telling you to not to destroy vital testing apparatus.

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* ''VideoGame/DarkEscape'': Throughout the journey through the complex, you'll see video cameras on the walls. They seem like just part of the scenery, but they actually serve a gameplay purpose if you shoot them. [[spoiler: As the number of cameras shot dictates how fast the FinalBoss's final attack will go which you must deflect if you want the good ending. If you got enough, the attack will come slow being easy enough to shoot away. But didn't get enough and it'll come so fast that you're guaranteed to take a hit and get the bad ending. If that wasn't enough, the game rubs this fact in your face afterward to encourage you to try again.]]