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

[At _War_With_Liberals]

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

true. its made a comeback.

[FLAMING DEATH]

Really.

"Sitting in a car smoking reefer sounds innocent enough, but you don't know what he plans to do from there."

Great logic. Let's keep going with it...

"Sitting in a living room cleaning a gun sounds innocent enough, but you don't know what he plans to do from there."

"Sitting on a porch drinking a beer sounds innocent enough, but you don't know what he plans to do from there."

"Working on the farm using diesel and fertilizer sounds innocent enough, but you don't know what he plans to do from there."

"Buying nitromethane for a model airplane sounds innocent enough, but you don't know what he plans to do from there."

"Browsing an 'anti-government' website like Freerepublic sounds innocent enough, but you don't know what he plans to do from there."

I agree, the guy is an idiot. But you don't have the right to arrest someone based on your impressions of what he "might do". As you said, what's next?

[Old Professer]

You know, we could collect you guys like catching flies around honey.

[Old Professer]

Don't tell me, you interned at the local zoo in the summer, right?

[Mr. Mojo]

Especially this kind of honey

[Pro-Bush]

But you don't have the right to arrest someone based on your impressions of what he "might do".

Exactly. Really appreicate you perspective on this. These police tactics were the same ones used by Nazi Germany.

[Monty22]

Ah christ, they went and made using pot illegal.. And driving on it too.

What a world.

[optimistically_conservative]

“We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from government.”

Justice William O. Douglas, dissenting in Osborn v. United States, 385 U.S. 323, 341, 87 S.Ct. 429 (1966). Justice Douglas was commenting on a series of cases involving the government use of agents to pose, infiltrate, or secretly tape record conversations with unsuspecting individuals in order to obtain convictions for certain federal crimes.

[kkindt]

I am sorry. WHat do you mean I interned at the local zoo in the summer? Is this an attempt at satire or some kind of irrational emotional criticism?

[Old Professer]

Maybe you were playing with the flaming ducks?

[kkindt]

I don't know about flaming ducks?