Wednesday, November 10, 2004
I'm Ready for My Closeup, Mr. Daley
A lot of cities have installed surveillance cameras outside key public buidlings to combat crime. A few weeks ago, Richard M. Daley, the mayor of Chicago announced plans to take this one step further and create a citywide surveillance network that routes all the video images to a central location by 2006.
Footage from the 2000 plus cameras that watch Chicago residents will be routed to a fortified command center where it will be analyzed by computer programs that alert police to anyone lingering too long outside buildings, pulling onto the shoulder of a highway or leaving a package unattended. Companies with private surveillance cameras, at bank ATM's or convenience stores, will also be able to include their images.
The ability to tie together footage from all of these cameras means that someone could now be followed from door to door (and sometimes inside) as they travel across the city. "Comprehensive" is the word that comes to mind.
Reaction to Daley's plan has been reasonably positive. Community organizers working in high crime areas say that cameras do cut down on problems. Civil servants in emergency management offices are even more upbeat. Indeed, given that so many citizens seem to approve, living under the watchful eye of the police may be something we can all expect. Los Angeles just announced a plan to install cameras in the troubled Hollywood area...the money they are using to buy them was donated by a private citizen.
Footage from the 2000 plus cameras that watch Chicago residents will be routed to a fortified command center where it will be analyzed by computer programs that alert police to anyone lingering too long outside buildings, pulling onto the shoulder of a highway or leaving a package unattended. Companies with private surveillance cameras, at bank ATM's or convenience stores, will also be able to include their images.
The ability to tie together footage from all of these cameras means that someone could now be followed from door to door (and sometimes inside) as they travel across the city. "Comprehensive" is the word that comes to mind.
Reaction to Daley's plan has been reasonably positive. Community organizers working in high crime areas say that cameras do cut down on problems. Civil servants in emergency management offices are even more upbeat. Indeed, given that so many citizens seem to approve, living under the watchful eye of the police may be something we can all expect. Los Angeles just announced a plan to install cameras in the troubled Hollywood area...the money they are using to buy them was donated by a private citizen.
# posted by AmandaWelsh @ 4:51 PM 
