Methods and systems for tamper reduction for camera systems. One example system includes a camera with a first field of view configured to operate in a low-power mode and an active mode, an energy wave sensor with a second field of view, and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to monitor, via the energy wave sensor, for an object within the second field of view and determine an object type of the object. In response to determining that the object type is a vehicle, the electronic processor transitions the camera from the low-power mode to the active mode and captures, via the camera, an image of the vehicle. In response to determining that the object type is a person, the electronic processor performs a tamper-monitoring action when the person is within a first predetermined range of a plurality of predetermined ranges of the system.