Houston Chronicle – Feb. 16, 2006:
Facing a shortage of police officers, Police Chief Harold Hurtt called Wednesday for a new type of patrol: surveillance cameras on downtown streets, apartment complexes and shopping malls — and in extreme situations, private homes.
“If you’re not doing anything wrong, why should you worry about it?” Hurtt told reporters.
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I hope he would be the first to volunteer.
“If you’re not doing anything wrong, why should you worry about it?” Dang, I wish Cheney took this attitude towards the freedom of information act.
How about putting web cams in the police stations? If they are not doing andything wrong why should they worry about it?
Given the Patriot Act — well supported by both political parties — nobody outside the US would be surprised if something like that were to be enacted by Congess — maybe it already has been but can’t be revealed because of national security concerns — like so many other laws and regulations that Americans are living with. You don’t even know if your local library is reporting the books you read to the FBI.
But hey — if you’re not doing anything wrong what difference does it make if you live in a police state?
This is the next logical step in Dumbya’s progression towards a police state.
Is anyone surprised??
Sounds like London to me. They have cameras everywhere.
I want people to understand how easy it would be to manipulate a police department dependant on surveillance cameras. If one was in my home it would soon begin recording Barney and friends. If I was really a criminal, I would just use the cameras to frame others and manipulate the police. A camera is just a device that gathers and moves data. With a “manpower shortage” you could aquire real power over the police by manipulating that data. It takes more “manpower” to effectively deal with surveillance cameras, than it would take to put a few more cops on the street. All you catch are idiots and crazy people with cameras.
We won the Cold War? Oh, really? Welcome to Amerika. Freedom should mean more than just the “opportunity” to make money for our corporate masters.
This will never happen, and when it does, Orwell’s interpretation of 1984 will just begin to come alive… ooh, scary.
As long as were putting cameras in private homes, I think camera in the White house, right over sensitive national documents/passwords/info would be appropriate.
WTF
I’m SURE the police chief will be happy to volunteer for the very first camera to go into HIS home. He’s not doing anything wrong, so he shouldn’t have to worry about it!
Instead of the police monitoring our behavior, we the public should monitor thier behavior.
Since the Sherriff, the long arm of the law is a public servant then he should be accountable for every minute of the day in the big house.
to gquaglia…..lmao….isn’t that the truth…or Manchester, or Birminhham, or Glasgow or Edinburgh…….I swear they have them in the public loos at airports, and the underground as well. Harry didn’t mean to wear that nazi shirt and let the cat out of the bag…..lol
Maybe we should put cameras in Guantanamo …. if they are doing nothing wrong there, why should they worry ???
I assumed the police chief was talking sarcastically to ridicule the idea of cameras. Reading the article, it’s not nearly what you say it is. The article doesn’t say ‘in private homes’. The chief is talking about requiring surveillance cameras to help solve crimes. Given the context of apartment complexes, and malls, I would interpret this as OUTSIDE surveillance camersas. Still a bad idea to require people put up cameras, even if its only for new businesses as part of the permit process. Most apartments and malls may have this anyway.
Hmp. If the police and the courts have nothing to hide, then let’s have 24/7 publically networked cameras in the police stations, lockups, and prisons. It amazes me that they can even sarcastically talk about cameras in our homes while people are tortured and raped in jails — and somehow no one ever thinks of video surveilling the damned places so that those things at least would be recorded. Innocent people do go to prison. Not to mention that being convicted of prostitution, shoplifting or simple drug possession shouldn’t qualify people as meat for the psychopaths and psychotics.