Police Slog Through Party Pics to Solve Case

I am not sure which will be the bigger crimefighting tool in the end. 3VR? Or, Twitter?

Newark Uses Cameras to Deter Crime

Amidst reports of cameras not doing anything at all to deter crime, Newark opened its new Surveillance Operations Center last week, and released a report claiming that murders and rapes had declined since the installation of cameras in its high violence areas in 2007. The city's mayor also talked about a recent armed robbery that was thwarted thanks to the cameras. As I've said before, just having cameras doesn't do anything, but having usable footage helps close cases and deliver arrests, which typically helps to deter crime in the long run.

Video Evidence Doesn't Discriminate

Here's one for people who worry that surveillance video puts too much power in the hands of police. In this case, video helped a defendant (Guillermo Alarcon, Jr., pictured left) prove that police had planted evidence on him, or, at the very least had lied under oath about his arrest, which was enough to get charges against him dropped. We've all seen the movies, this is being painted as one of those cases where good cops go bad because the rules of their job keep them from doing a good enough job keeping bad guys off the street. Here, they planted cocaine on a gang member to make the charges stick. Some would argue that if you break the law to send a gang member to prison, the end justifies the means, but I think laws are laws and if your job is to enforce them you probably shouldn't be breaking them. Moreover, as an executive in the security surveillance industry, I think it would be just plain wrong if surveillance video were only used as evidence against certain wrongdoers and not others.

No Place to Hide for Camera-shy Criminals

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20080121035546155C224410

CCTV cameras, commissioned by the Tshwane Metro Council three years ago, have helped to reduce crime and traffic violations in the inner city. And now the council is hoping to get public support to extend their range into neighboring areas.

“We have 68 cameras and we are negotiating with business and CIDs (city improvement districts) to expand the coverage,” said Tshwane Metro Police spokesperson William Baloyi.

In contrast to many stories where video surveillance has not been effective, Tshwane, South Africa is having nothing but success. The township’s city council credits video cameras for capturing 640 incidents that led to 45 arrests, 129 tickets for driving offences, and the capture of 2 car thieves and three robbery suspects—all from just 68 cameras.

LA to Profile Muslim Communities

The Los Angeles police have begun a difficult and controversial program to identify and reach out to some of the area’s more insular Muslim communities.

There are an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. The Police Department is trying to identify the location of Muslim enclaves to determine which might be susceptible to "violent, ideologically-based extremism," Downing said Thursday. The intent, he said, is to "reach out to those communities," including Pakistanis, Iranians and Chechens.

The ACLU and numerous Muslim organizations, including the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), have teamed up in opposition to the initiative, however, citing “grave concerns” and comparing it to “racial profiling.”

"Singling out individuals for investigation, surveillance, and data-gathering
based on their religion constitutes religious profiling that is just as
unlawful, ill-advised and deeply offensive as racial profiling," the letter
said.

The general response to the seemingly common-sense proposal has been far less critical, however. And city officials, who plan to meet with Muslim leaders for the first time next week on the program, are glad that at least some potential critics are waiting for more details before drawing final conclusions.

Salam al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said
he would withhold judgment until hearing more from police next week.
"Muslims should be treated as partners, not suspects," he said. Chief
William Bratton said the initiative is intended to get officers into
communities, meeting with people and learning the local landscape.

Makes sense to me…but somehow I doubt CAIR will feel the same way.