When a vehicle is unattended by the owner or operator, an unauthorized person may access the interior of the vehicle for unlawful purposes, such as theft or vandalism. For example, when a vehicle owner leaves a vehicle for service at a vehicle service center, employees of the vehicle service center may have unsupervised access to the vehicle and the owner's personal effects within the interior of the vehicle. An employee of the vehicle service center may steal personal property from the interior of the vehicle and the vehicle owner may not realize the loss until sometime later. Since there is typically no evidence to support allegations that the theft occurred at the vehicle service center, the vehicle owner must absorb the loss. Joyriding, reckless driving, or other mishandling of the vehicle by employees of the vehicle service center may also be problems. Furthermore, if the vehicle is left unattended, various persons unrelated either to the vehicle owner or to the vehicle service center may gain access to the interior of the vehicle for theft, burglary, or vandalism.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved apparatus as well as related methods for the monitoring of the interior of a vehicle.