----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug Pensinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <brin-l@mccmedia.com> Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 11:30 AM Subject: Re: Fight the Future: Houston Police wanna put Cameras in Your Home
> On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 06:35:00 -0700, PAT MATHEWS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > >>> From: "The Fool" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> >>> >>> <<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Police_Cameras.html>> >>> >>> Houston's police chief on Wednesday proposed placing surveillance >>> cameras in apartment complexes, downtown streets, shopping malls >>> and >>> even private homes to fight crime during a shortage of police >>> officers. >>> "I know a lot of people are concerned about Big Brother, but my >>> response to that is, if you are not doing anything wrong, why >>> should >>> you worry about it?" Chief Harold Hurtt told reporters Wednesday >>> at a >>> regular briefing. >>> >>> >> The answer to that is obvious. "We may be doing nothing wrong, but >> we may be doind something you don't like. Such as criticizing you >> or preparing to blow the whistle on one of your boys." > > I've got no problem with cameras in _public_ places. Including > inside the police stations and other government buildings. > > I was recently in a pair of minor accidents on the freeway. I got > rear ended and then while I was pulling into the breakdown lane, I > got hit by someone trying to go around me. The person that rear > ended me took off in the wake of the second accident, and the > highway patrolman got the details all wrong in the second accident > and made me at fault. A video would have been a victory for the > truth... and me. > > Cameras are getting cheap enough to use everywhere. Just ask our > friends in the UK. But it's important that we keep the government > honest - that's how we ward off the big brother syndrome. > The actuality of the situation is that the police and the Downtown management group are putting cameras on *Main Street", a busy thoroughfare with a new commuter train line that has been involved in more than a few traffic accidents and at least (IMS) one death. There is also a bit of small time crime to be considered. It is not really an infringement on rights since one cannot expect privacy on Main Street and there is a whole lot of discussion here about ways to keep the cameras from pointing in private directions. The controversy The Fool pointed at with his quote is a proposal (put forward by the police) that all new apartment complexes should be required to have cameras in public places (courtyards, parking lots, etc...) to help minimize the drag such dense residential facilities place on the PD. In Houston apt. complexes are the source of a good percentage of all police calls. But this proposal is simply an idea that is being thrown about at this time and is not yet before city council. There is certainly some concern for potential abuse, but the basic requests do not so far seem unreasonable. xponent Hometown Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
