How fast does surveillance video get erased?

Retention varies by business and system, but the range is short. Some systems overwrite in as little as a week. Many run two to four weeks. Larger retailers with better systems may hold longer, but none of that is guaranteed.

The systems overwrite automatically. Unless someone affirmatively preserves a segment, it's gone on schedule — not through bad faith, just through how the equipment works.

What triggers preservation. An incident report, in most retail operations. That's another reason reporting the fall matters. But businesses preserve what *they* think is relevant, which is frequently a short clip around the fall rather than the hour before it.

What this means practically. A preservation letter sent in week one preserves the case. One sent in week five may arrive after the footage is gone, and at that point the duration route to constructive knowledge is largely closed.

And it's another reason the regularity route matters — that evidence isn't on a timer.