A surveillance and communication system is provided and includes two-way audio communication capabilities and a covert video acquisition system. In one embodiment, a system for acquiring video data within an environment is provided. The system includes a device having an image acquisition component, an audio acquisition component, and a speaker provided within an enclosure that is configured to be mounted to a portion of a user. The image acquisition component is configured to be utilized to acquire video data from a first viewpoint within the environment. A local data communication system is configured to receive an electrical signal indicative of video data from the image acquisition component. A surveillance component is fixed to a structure within the environment and configured to acquire video data from a second viewpoint within the environment that is elevated with respect to the first viewpoint. Further, a remote data communication system is provided that is remote from the device and configured to simultaneously receive video data from the local data communication system and video data from the surveillance component.