We had a similar thing in Ohio where the police set a camera up outside a head shop in Ohio to intimidate the customers and the owner would always remind us to flip them off when leaving.
posted on July 16, 2001 12:53:45 AM new
Between ATM cards, Cell Phones, speeding and red light cameras, credit cards, and pagers, it is not too far into the future that the gov will know where everyone is at or recently was. There is a murder case in CA right now using cell phone records to place the where abouts of the defendant.
posted on July 16, 2001 03:51:19 AM new
Heads of police agencies gather several times a year at seminars justified under their training budgets which are really nothing more than big sales bazaars filed with demonstrations of the latest hopeful technological developments and presented by super salesmen (or women) as the newest answer to all of their concerns. It's not very different than the sales pitch for that ultimate crime fighting system in one of the robocop type movies. Some of it works, some of it is pure hype or gimmickry. In the bars and retaurants at the hotels where these things take place there are very friendly women amenable to the company of police representatives from places likely to produce the most lucrative accounts. Liquor flows, all for free. In Washington they call it lobbying.
The attendees return to their offices filled with enthusiasm for this or that because their jobs are no longer much to do with fighting crimes, and are instead much to do with appearing proactive and innovative to their bosses. They have their staff prepare justification documents...requests, DARs (decision analysis reports), and juggle their funding in order to obtain the newest latest meanest leanest piece of mississippi showboat that they they can sell to their boss. They don't know or care if it's practicable or even legal, but they do care that it make them look good in the ways that they think their superiors will approve.
The upshot is that this camera stuff will now steamroll. The manufacturers, seeing the news reports of acceptance of such stuff, will invest tons of money to be able to present what they hope will be the end-all surveillance system on earth, the very best snooping technology that money can buy, at the next big police equipment sales bazaar cum training seminar.
In a couple of years every time you pass wind anywhere in the country the sound will be digitally recorded somewhere, retrievable on demand by entering your social security number.
In a few years all of that will be so commonplace that you'll be able to go to the library and listen to your own snoring from the night before.
posted on July 16, 2001 05:30:01 PM new
I lead such a boring life I would consider wearing a video camera as a piece of jewelry with a wireless broadband uplink for my own protection.
How many seior police officials and Congressmen do you think would do that?
Time to turn the game and follow them around recording.
posted on July 16, 2001 07:36:49 PM new
A fellow did just that- a "long haired" musician was pulled over and recorded the officer(s) making the stop. The tape showed verbal abuse from the officer.
Guess who went down ? The motorist was found guilty of the state's anti-wiretap law - and it was appealed and lost clear to the state supreme court.
An appeal to the US Supremes is possible.
There is also an area I believe in L.A. that has "listening" devices on lamp posts monitored for gun shots.
[ edited by reamond on Jul 16, 2001 08:12 PM ]
posted on July 16, 2001 08:30:05 PM new
My understanding is that if they get a match they claim they will not make an arrest from that. They say the officers must approuch the suspect and confirm his identity.
Excuse me - does that mean I have to have and carry ID now to walk on the public street?
I know I have to surrender a driver's license if pulled over , but I don't have pedestrian's license - yet. I can't believe they will not arrest you if you have no ID.
How about a photocopy of the FBI most wanted as a mask?
posted on July 16, 2001 08:36:48 PM newgravid-I am fairly sure each state has it's own little "rules" concerning ID's.
In Texas, "technically" anyone over the age of 17 must have a state issued ID or DL! Our ID cards look just like the DL except they state for identification purposes only. Now, does my state enforce this?? Well, it sort of depends on the circumstances and/or the individual involved!
Yes, the city of Palo Alto, CA has the gunshot listening devices and it was well publisized when they were installed. Since then, Morgan Hill, Salinas, Menlo Park, San Leandro, and Berkeley (I believe) have followed suit. There may be more, as the proposal to do so has surfaced in various towns around the SF Bay Area,
posted on July 16, 2001 10:41:03 PM new
Regarding an ID- the police can hold anyone stopped for not having an ID, until the police can make an identification of the person.
