Your Neighbor Now Works For the Man
Your neighbors now control these video surveillance cameras.
It has begun. Admit it, you've always hated those nosy neighbors. Well, now folks in the 'hood can use video cameras to bust you in East Orange, N.J. Officials there have created something called the Virtual Community Patrol… an electronic way to peer over your fence. Here's an article from the Star-Ledger. Police Director Jose Coredero said:
"We want to now give them shared virtual control of their community," Cordero said. "Essentially, when they see something that alarms them, they can go to the Web site, type in information, and hit send. "We will then get an alert in our community center, and, automatically, video cameras will turn to what they (the neighborhood resident) are looking at, or what they are complaining about," Cordero said. "We'll see what they're seeing. We'll be able to respond quicker."
The cameras are also equipped with an acoustic gunshot sensor. While I'm more than sensitive to people wanting crime out of their neighborhoods, this definitely creeps me out. And it puts a kink in my teepeeing plans this weekend.
(via BoingBoing)
Backyard Security: Embrace
With tens of billions of dollars of cuts in welfare, the urban communities must embrace transparency.
Backyard Security: Oval Office
If we really want to catch criminals in action, let's put a camera in the oval office...
Backyard Security: Anonymity
It is not necessarily wrong to show the police "this is what I am worried about." If an official report must be filed before police action is taken (some exceptions would be when someone is in immediate danger), then this is nothing more than a very clear way to express concerns to the police.
I can see how this system could reduce the workload on patrol officers by giving someone at the department a chance to review a situation before committing resources to a frivolous complaint.
For example, kids playing football in the street at 9pm on a summer night. If they are making excessive noise, but not breaking any laws it may not be necessary to send a patrol car to the scene.
On the other hand, kids vandalizing property or harassing citizens may be caught on tape and the resulting video footage may provide conclusive proof of the crime committed.
People should be allowed to face their accusers, however, so this system should never be anonymous.
Backyeard Security: Gestapo
I have a brown shirt and jack-boots for all those interested snoopers. We should be bringing our communities together instead of tearing them apart. This fascist idea is only going to create more racial and ethnic profiling because it is anonymous. Just remember some day these cameras will be watching you too. "The revolution has begun, it will be televised, and the enemy is us."
Backyard Security: Creepy Creeps
Yes, this is creepy, but why the hell not? Seems as if we step closer and closer to a Big Brother tyranny, these days faster than ever. If you really want to get creeped out, and raise your awareness of how overreaching and scary our government is becoming, check out the progressive media site commondreams.org for a very interesting article about the Pentagon soliciting the private technology industry to develop cyborg insects that can be remotely controlled to do video and audio surveillance. It's not a joke. Its very sci-fi, but were in a sci-fi age. When will folks take to the streets in mass numbers to shift the direction of our society? Why don't more people pull over when they pass a street corner protest and ask if the activists have an extra sign instead of just driving past and beeping their horn in support? At the rate things are getting "creepy" in this country, we should take as many opportunities to express our disapproval of the creeps making it creepy as we can before were no longer able because it has become illegal.
Backyard Security: Shots
Rachel mentioned 1984, instead of Orwell....Judges? Ding, ding, ding.
Yes! They're going to count it! Take three shots, JJ!
Back Yard Security: Social Fabric
This is an example of how new technology should not be used. The web format of sending an alert is particularly disturbing. It makes talking about problems within the community too impersonal and distant. I'm afraid if this is used widely it will change the social fabric of our lives.
Backyard Security: Invasion Of Privacy
I cannot believe the invasion of privacy here. They are actually encouraging neighbors to turn against one another? I can understand neighborhood security but this crosses a very serious line. I was under the distinct impression that this wasnt 1984. Like the previous commentor said: creepy.
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