Is Big Brother watching us?
Cecil Hawthorne
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: Opinion
I walked by the Taylorsville skate park and noticed something I hadn't seen before: Security cameras. Who is watching me? Do the police use these cameras to deter crime or is there someone watching these kids as they jump, slide and roll through the park. It is public property, but is putting cameras in parks an invasion of privacy? According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), there is a threat of invasion of privacy.
"Surveillance cameras can have a chilling impact on First Amendment-protected gatherings, such as protest rallies and union meetings," says a spokesperson from the ACLU. This might be a problem to those who break the law, but those of us who are law abiding citizens shouldn't have a problem with the public security cameras. Unless it bothers you that someone could be watching your every move.
Cameras in banks help catch bank robbers and surveillance cameras we see in government buildings protect the patrons and workers. Nobody has a problem with those. So why would surveillance in a park be an issue?
The police have installed video cameras in parks to deter crime and help them patrol the parks. You can keep watch over a lot more territory with fewer officers with the use of cameras.
"Cameras in Pioneer Park pose privacy problems, [and] won't reduce crime," says an ACLU released statement about the security cameras in Pioneer Park. But the idea is that if someone sees a camera, they might think, "I'm being recorded, I better take my wickeness elsewhere."
"Our aim is to increase the comfort and safety level for all users of this public space," said Chief of Police Chris Burbank in an interview with Fox 13 news.
Cameras in stores and banks haven't deterred robberies. But what is does do is assist law enforcement in identifying the criminals. Installing surveillance cameras in parks and other public places might not deter crime, but it would help to catch criminals.
"Surveillance cameras can have a chilling impact on First Amendment-protected gatherings, such as protest rallies and union meetings," says a spokesperson from the ACLU. This might be a problem to those who break the law, but those of us who are law abiding citizens shouldn't have a problem with the public security cameras. Unless it bothers you that someone could be watching your every move.
Cameras in banks help catch bank robbers and surveillance cameras we see in government buildings protect the patrons and workers. Nobody has a problem with those. So why would surveillance in a park be an issue?
The police have installed video cameras in parks to deter crime and help them patrol the parks. You can keep watch over a lot more territory with fewer officers with the use of cameras.
"Cameras in Pioneer Park pose privacy problems, [and] won't reduce crime," says an ACLU released statement about the security cameras in Pioneer Park. But the idea is that if someone sees a camera, they might think, "I'm being recorded, I better take my wickeness elsewhere."
"Our aim is to increase the comfort and safety level for all users of this public space," said Chief of Police Chris Burbank in an interview with Fox 13 news.
Cameras in stores and banks haven't deterred robberies. But what is does do is assist law enforcement in identifying the criminals. Installing surveillance cameras in parks and other public places might not deter crime, but it would help to catch criminals.
Be the first to comment on this story