Cops Say Camera Caught Driver Smoking Pot

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-camera12.html ^ | 8-12-03 | Frank Main

[OXENinFLA]

Camera's first catch gets felony drug charge

As Marcus D. Jackson smoked dope in a blue Chevy Caprice, he had no idea anyone was watching, police say.

But about a block away, officers were monitoring his every move on a surveillance camera set up at Augusta and Pulaski to target crimes both serious and minor that bring down the neighborhood's quality of life.

When they swooped in and arrested Jackson, the officers allegedly found $20 worth of pot and Ecstasy, a so-called "club drug," valued at $60.

The 1:30 a.m. Saturday bust was the first one for Operation Disruption, which saw its first cameras installed two weeks ago.

"What you are seeing is people are getting used to the cameras and going back to their old behavior," said Pat Camden, a Chicago police spokesman. "And we are there watching them."

The officers who collared Jackson are part of a new 100-member team, the Targeted Response Unit, which is patrolling the West Side's Harrison police district, typically the city's most murderous place.

The unit swarmed into the area at the beginning of August and in a week recovered 11 guns, impounded 87 vehicles and made 284 arrests on charges ranging from gun possession to car theft.

The goal is to discourage "off-duty criminals" like Jackson from committing more serious offenses than smoking pot, police said. Jackson, 22, was on parole for drug dealing and possession of a stolen vehicle. The 5-foot-tall man, known as "Shorty," admitted he was a Four Corner Hustlers gang member, police said.

The car Jackson was riding in has been impounded, and a judge has ordered him held on $40,000 bail. He was charged with a felony for the Ecstasy and a misdemeanor for the pot.

"We are looking at potential criminals who affect the quality of life," Camden said. "Sitting in a car smoking reefer sounds innocent enough, but you don't know what he plans to do from there."

Jackson's mother, Susie Jackson, said her son posted bail and is free pending his next court hearing on Sept. 3.

"He is nervous because he is on parole," she said. "He does not know what will happen when he goes back to court. This isn't fair. It's not like he was dealing drugs. I don't see how they could arrest him for just sitting there smoking weed. Most young people do that."

Jackson's mother has seen the cameras and does not like them. "To me, that is an invasion," she said.

Generally, though, the cameras don't violate the constitutional right to privacy if they're trained on public spaces, the American Civil Liberties Union says

[Robert_Paulson2]

I was here first. But according to the movie credits of Fight Club... it is spelled with an SEN not SON.

[Gianni]

"We are looking at potential criminals who affect the quality of life," Camden said. "Sitting in a car smoking reefer sounds innocent enough, but you don't know what he plans to do from there."

A little Minority Report for me... I think if I lived there it'd be time to move.

[kkindt]

incrementalism? Are you trying to argue that although putting up a camera to catch speeders is not against the constitution it is a step in that direction? This doesn't make sense since every single power we give to our government is a power we could take away like we did in 1776. We give the government power - if they can't be trusted with it - we take it away. That's the way it works. What I hear is that people who like to SPEED UP when they see yellow lights don't like it because they are getting ticketed. I say HURRAY!!! YIPEE! I despite red light runners. THey have killed babies and children and are no better than potential killers. THe more tickets they get the better off our children will be. Perhaps you haven't had anyone in your family killed or maimed by a red light runner but many have and you ought to be more concerned about them than you are about your liberty to not be seen running a red light or if you don't run them then you ought to be happy to see those who do so habitually having their habit busted.

If they have shortened the yellow so as to get more tickets and make more money then I say argue that way and get them to lengthen the yellow BUT I DOUBT IT is that way. WHEN YOU SEE YELLOW it means put on the brake not step on the gas.

[CollegeRepublican]

For the record I have a perfect driving record and the only thing that I have ever hit was a deer, which was not my fault. I follow the flow of traffic in my heavily populated area, that means that I speed along with every other person going to work in the morning and going home in the afternoon.

The fact of the matter is that the yellow lights were shortened below the recommended time for the average speed of travel on the road; which has many lights, but only the lights that had these cameras had the time shortened. YES, the company that was running this money stealing operation for the state got more money for issuing more tickets and so did the State. It was done on purpose to make more money.

[Hacksaw]

from NIDA notes (By Robert Mathias, NIDA NOTES Staff Writer ):

In a laboratory study at NIDA's Addiction Research Center in Baltimore that controlled for alcohol's confounding effect, Dr. Heishman tested marijuana's effects on the functional components of driving. Study subjects smoked a marijuana cigarette, waited 10 minutes, then smoked another cigarette. Both cigarettes contained either 0, 1.8, or 3.6 percent THC. Twenty minutes after smoking the cigarettes, the subjects were given a standard sobriety test similar to a roadside sobriety test. The test showed that marijuana significantly impaired their ability to stand on one leg for 30 seconds or touch their finger to their nose. As the dose of THC increased, the subjects swayed more, raised their arms, and had to put their feet down in an attempt to maintain their balance. Subjects also committed 2.5 times more errors when they attempted to touch their nose with their finger.

[CollegeRepublican]

Please read the facts regarding red-light cameras.

http://www.highwayrobbery.net/redlightcamsJudgeMathewsReport.html

While each life is precious and I certianly do not want anyone to die in car accidents, sometimes they are just that accidents. Other times they are drunks, and I have no excuse for drunk drivers. Throw them in jail. But, you kinda sound like a gun-grabbing nut, with your rhetoric about the babies and the children.

[kkindt]

I might sound like a gun grabbing nut but I am against gun grabbing hot heads as much as I am against red light runners who think their precious few seconds they are saving are worth more than the lives of the little ones they eventually will slaughter. If you are a red light runner - if you speed up when you see yellow instead of slowing down - then you are a potential killer and are just as bad as a gun grabbing nut. Video cameras taking pictures of us when we come to intersections take pictures of all of us - it is not discrimination. And those who like to speed through red lights will obviously be against these cameras and join forces with those of you who are opposed to having them get ticket after ticket. I am not saying you are one of these red light runners but think how they are just as bad as gun grabbing nuts and actually red light runners kill more people than gun grabbing nuts do.

[optimistically_conservative]

I gave up. My conscience that helps me to distinguish right from wrong and judge good government from bad no longer permitted me to debate kkindt.

U.S. Develops Urban Surveillance System
			Posted by kkindt to optimistically_conservative On News/Activism 08/13/2003 3:27 PM EDT #185 of 185 Last word - we are both sinners - conceived that way - all of us are. Proof? Who taught us to tell lies? Comes naturally to all of us. So do all immoral desires come natural. We do not have to be taught how to be law breakers or immoral persons but we do have to be taught how to obey the law. The government has been instituted by God to punish us for breaking His laws. Our government may not know this but it was. So as one who believes this way I don't care what the constitution of the United States says at this point about cameras taking our pictures in public because if it doesn't permit it according to the supreme court then I want the court changed or the constitution changed so it will permit it. I have a right to try to have this view incorporated into the constitution if it isn't there already. Post Reply | Private Reply | To 184 | View Replies

[CollegeRepublican]

Thanks, all I can say is Wow. I think that you have it right it is better not to debate with kkindt.

So as one who believes this way I don't care what the constitution of the United States says at this point about cameras taking our pictures in public because if it doesn't permit it according to the supreme court then I want the court changed or the constitution changed so it will permit it. I have a right to try to have this view incorporated into the constitution if it isn't there already.

That is down right scary, kkindt must have already visited the Ministy of Truth. And I am still looking for the red light camera verse in the bible. :)

[CollegeRepublican]

If you read the Judge Matthews report and still feel this way about Red light cameras then more power to ya. Have a nice life and I will be sure to stop at yellow lights :)

[MrLeRoy]

Hey now, you two are supposed to be conservative Republicans!

They are---real conservatives oppose criminalization of drugs just as they opposed the "progressive" policy of Prohibition.

[Tony in Hawaii]

1. I was joking.

2. I agree with you.

[HurkinMcGurkin]

That is down right scary,

Yikes!! No kidding!!

[Mr. Mojo]

Smoking pot in public and in cars is part of Hip Hop culture

Smoking weed in public pre-dates the hip hop culture by many, many decades.

[LowOiL]

Maybe he was using a 3-foot water bong!

*SNORT* ROFLMBO

[MrLeRoy]

I thought you might be---but it gave me an excuse to get on the old soapbox. ;-)

[Tony in Hawaii]

Did you really need an excuse? :)

[ActionNewsBill]

Whether pot is legal or illegal, the man would have been breaking the law to be smoking pot behind the wheel.

Absolutely! Assuming hamppu were legal, in a case like this, both infractions would be treated equally, if in fact they were both just sitting there not driving.

I recall some articles posted here sbout folks busted for drinking or being drunk in their cars on their own driveways.

Used to be, in Texas, IIRC, you could drink alcohol while driving, is that still true?

[ActionNewsBill]

The government has been instituted by God to punish us for breaking His laws. Our government may not know this but it was. So as one who believes this way I don't care what the constitution of the United States says at this point about cameras taking our pictures in public because if it doesn't permit it according to the supreme court then I want the court changed or the constitution changed so it will permit it.

Words fail me at this time.

I thought I'd seen everything.

[kkindt]

Your words didn't fail you - the very phrase you used is called a 'put down' and your words served in the attempt to do that without dealing with the substance of the words another put up there for you to use in reasoned debate.