New Orleans is about to deploy 1,000 cameras in a quite commendable effort to reduce crime, or at least make it easier to solve crimes that occur in the vicinity of the cameras. I believe that New York has something like this, as do other cities. If you have information, or links to stories, relating to the city you live in, or a city that you know is using this technology, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave a comment below.
I’m not interested in efforts like the system that the City of Tampa, Florida used, i.e., using cameras to do face-recognition analysis. I’m looking for cities that have used cameras in public places to combat crime by having police officials monitor the cameras or view camera recordings. For what it is worth, I think this is a good idea and I hope that the City of New Orleans can make it work.
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Apparently, the ACLU in Chicago is concerned about privacy rights; because the “cameras can go where the human eye can’t” such as “into purses.” That is simply not true of these cameras, or I would seriously doubt it. This is an example of people giving technology too much credit merely so that they can demagogue it. The ACLU also claims that the cameras will chill first amendment exercise of the right of free assembly (i.e., that it will dissuade people from congregating near the camera). Also a red-herring. People who are expecting to commit crimes will certainly be dissuaded, but I doubt that others will be dissuaded; in fact law abiding people might tend to flock to areas that are more secure. At least that’s another way of looking at it.
Ernie: Here’s the Chicago Public Radio interview that includes a bit with the Illinois ACLU:
https://www.chicagopublicradio.com/audio_library/ram_2003b/news/news_030801.ram
Ernie: check out what we started doing in Chicago:
https://www.badgerherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/09/3f5d31d279c76
Followup to the Minneapolis posting:
https://mpls-watched.org/about/
Minneapolis is getting cameras in its downtown thanks to a well-known local corporate presence. https://www.underreported.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1051
North Louisiana has recently addressed the same issue.
And also England has been doing this.
Orlando, Florida has cameras located downtown. Apparently they have been there for a few years, but I just noticed them on my way to school the other day. Orlando also posts signs stating that cameras are watching.