Were these cameras needed?

I think the camera’s are needed to protect the police and the public. Too many times I have heard of police brutality in the precincts and sometimes they have cameras picking up the entire episode of what actually happened. If a prisoner is, in fact, being brutalized for no apparent reason, this needs to be stopped. If the shouts of police brutality is untrue, then the camera’s are there to act as a witness also. No one wants the police to have to be thoroughly investigated, put on leave, perhaps have incorrect issues on their permanent record just because someone is being an ass. Unfortunately, this is happening so much more, that the cameras are really necessary.

I think the intense surveillance everywhere is a waste of money and breeds a culture of paranoia and distrust, leading to more crime and bad behavior and general havoc, not less. So, yes, it’s a waste, but not just at the police station.

Surveillance cameras are cheap insurance against frivolous lawsuits from 2 bit criminals.

I just got back and have to answer this before I answer the 10k well wishers. (Thank you by the way).

I recently received a contract to install a security surveillance system inside a church/community center. The cameras cover every square inch of the place except the bathrooms. There are several preschool classrooms and with a password, parents can go on the internet and watch the activities in their child’s class.
I could have hidden the cameras, but was told not to. They want the cameras perfectly visible and obvious so everyone knows they are being recorded. The data is erased in 7 days and only visible by the pastor and a few select individuals.
Apparently the parishioners and the teachers really like the idea. I wonder if it reduces the potential of lawsuits.

Most likely they are needed to prevent the theft of evidence by police officers themselves. Sad but true.

As long as a security camera is not infringing on anyone’s rights, I’ve found them to be a good thing.
* They provide evidence for those that are wrongly accused
* They sometimes deter a person from committing a crime, like a robbery, although we know this is not always the case
* They can prevent employees from doing things, like providing poor customer service or stealing from their employer

Anyone who plays by the rules should be thankful for them. The taped evidence can resolve an accusation and clear a name much more quickly than the “He said/She said” route. It is for those who are disgruntled or up to shenanigans that should be concerned about the cameras. Be thankful that your department has your best interests at heart. As a taxpayer, I’m fine with it.

I agree with @worriedguy ‘s comments. Businesses have been robbed because they didn’t realize that there was a hidden camera. The more obvious it is, the more likely it is to deter one. Businesses still get robbed, even if the camera is visible, and yet owners were foolish enough to believe that the sight of one would stop a robbery, so they went the cheap route and purchased a fake one. Or, they tape, but it re-tapes over itself before the crime is reported or discovered. The 7-day tape is the way to go if you want it done right.

@Pied_Pfeffer Just for the record the camera system I am talking about is extremely high resolution 720×480 120 fps, not the cheap junk you see in 7 11. They only record when there is a change in the scene. A 1 TB hard drive stores the data and permits downloadinng with the correct password.
I think every bank, 7 11 and gas station should have one of these.
But then I might be biased. ;-)

@Pied_Pfeffer Maybe it prevents me from shoplifting, but given the choice between a store covered in cameras and a store without, I’ll go to the one without. Not because I steal, which I don’t, but because I’d like to be able to act more freely. If I’m being watched, I don’t take all the time I need to debate 2 products. I don’t snatch a hanging bugger (we all do it…) or adjust my underwear when no one is looking – because they are. I don’t browse, which means I won’t see products I don’t already know about, because I’m so anxious to get to somewhere where I can just be me without intense scrutiny.

Oh! Forgot my biggest thing with it (because that’s what happens when you answer at 5 in the morning…)

Cameras assume guilt. Our country was based on the assumption of innocence until proven otherwise. They may be in a legal gray area, but it goes against what I see as a foundation stone of our country and society.

@papayalily Relax, at least in the system I’m responsible for, no one is watching. No one! The data is there in case of a problem. There isn’t somebody sitting in a booth looking at cameras all day nor is there someone who reviews the daily data. But if some parent complains that Johnny came home with a bruise, they can pull the file (with the Pastor’s and one other committee member’s permission) and show the Pastor, parent, teacher and even the child exactly what happened. “Johnny, you are not supposed to hang from the light fixtures.”
Feel free to take care of that hanging “chad”. Unless there was a robbery while you were doing it, no one will ever know.

@worriedguy But the point is that I’m supposed to think there’s someone watching, isn’t it?

@worriedguy You are talking in a language that is well over my head, but I trust your expertise in this matter. All I can say is that there have been instances of poor customer service (by either the customer or the employee), assaults, and robberies that should have been caught on film, but owners were too cheap to invest in equipment that was not destined to achieve the goal they were purchased to set out to do. It has cost them in the long run.

@papayalily I agree with worriedguy. Unless you are in a place that monitors their cameras 24–7, like a casino, you don’t need to worry about tugging at your underwear. Most cameras used in a business that are recording get erased over before ever being watched, unless there is an issue. I was in the hotel business for years, and we’d find duct tape over the blinking red light of a smoke detector because guests would think that it was a camera because of some of the lewd videos that get shown on TV and websites.

Cameras are not about guilt. They are about protecting their business.

@Pied_Pfeffer Most shoplifting won’t be caught unless they monitor them 24/7. So they may not be monitoring them, but they’re still loosing my business. And I still think they are about presuming guilt.

@papayalily I understand how you feel, and I used to feel the same way. Since then, I’ve experienced the other side of the fence. Owners and managers of a business install cameras for more reasons than monitoring potential theft. In the customer service industry, especially in small businesses where the owner is the only manager, they cannot be there 24/7 to monitor the behavior of their employees. Sometimes, name-tags help, but there is no guarantee that they are wearing their own. I’ve worn someone else’s name-tag just to be in compliance when I accidentally left mine at home. A visible camera that is filming employees, as well as customers, is more likely to ensure good behavior.

Robbery, including shoplifting, can be caught on film, whether it is monitored or not. It does not need to be live to become evidence. It is the same for verbal abuse, as long as audio is involved.

And yes, these stores may be losing your business, despite your knowing that you would never do anything illegal. It is the risk that they take in order to protect their assets.

@Pied_Pfeffer I understand that, and I sympathize with their plight. But most of those assets are there to be sold, they’re worthless if they can’t unload them. So they might loose it by me stealing it without cameras, but they’ll definitely have a harder time unloading it with them.