Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
The AP has a short-on-details report on news that a program called Safe City, funded by Target and Sprint Nextel, has decided to purchase crime cameras for the Trinidad neighborhood. Trinidad will apparently receive nearly 30 privately funded crime cameras, with installation beginning in May.
Presumably the Safe City cameras will be monitored the same way the MPD's existing cameras are. On its web site, Safe City describes itself as "a community based initiative that leverages partnerships and technology to help communities and businesses reduce crime and create an environment where people feel safe and secure." Nearly 25 other cities and towns have received Safe City grants.
City Desk reports that D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson wants to make sure that these cameras will adhere to the same privacy restrictions that apply to existing MPD cameras.
Photo by christaki
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How difficult would it be to rig these cameras up with rifles? I mean, if you're going to the trouble to monitor suspicious activities, wouldn't you want the option to pre-emptively shoot people in the back while they attempt to leave a crimescene?
Kinda makes sense when you consider these things are being sponsored by Target anyway.
Oh amazing! I'm sure this will lower the crime rate in trinidad just like it did in columbia heights.. oh wait..
Well, at least it's cheaper than having a foot patrol. Oh wait.
thank goodness everyone in trinidad is wealthy and bored enough to sit around their houses all day staring at a computer screen waiting to see crime happen.
psh, white people and their foolish "crime prevention" toys
I think these are more for catching criminals after the fact then preventing crime. I don't mind camera at all if they actually help catch crooks.
As far as the camera 'privacy policy' goes, shouldn't it be the same as it would be for a citizen taking photos in public? That is, you can freely photograph anything and everything that is visible from a public space. Quite simply, if you are in public, you can expect to have your picture taken.
I'm filming out_on_an_island as we speak. stop picking your nose.
When can we get these in Eckington? We need one on every corner in my hood.
"Your hood?" I thought your ass was moving to Silver Spring? Would a couple cameras be enough to make you stay?
Can I get a couple of these in my bedroom?
I still want them while I'm here.
The post article had the following sentence:
"Lanier, who resides in the Trinidad neighborhood, said crime is down about 5 percent generally in the past month."
How long has Lanier lived in Trinidad? I'd think I'd have known this having lived there the past 3 years...is this recent or shoddy reporting?
mullenta shoddy reporting - at least as far as i know. lanier lives in ward 5, but over in the new development by fort lincoln. NE, ward 5, and any neighborhoods within either tend to be one and the same to reporters.
These things don't do shit. I know someone who just finished her employment with the Public Defender Service, and even if they know exactly where a crime happened, there are two impediments to these actually ever being used:
1) the fact that MPD only keeps the past 3 days worth of tape, and 2) petitions/subpoenas to get the tape take much longer than three days to process.
So basically they're a deterrent but not an effective tool at all. Keep hoping though!
"thank goodness everyone in trinidad is wealthy and bored enough to sit around their houses all day staring at a computer screen waiting to see crime happen."
whatever makes wealthy and bored people happy. the answer to the meaning of life.
Lanier doesn't live in Trinidad. She has a house near Fort Lincoln, but she doesn't actually live there full-time. She usually lives at her real house in Maryland.
Also, why id DC continually buying these crime cameras at an avergage cost of $100,000/camera?! It'd be easy to create a remotely accessible camera and recorder for less than 10k. With little to show and a very high cost, cameras are a waste.