NEW YORK (Reuters) - Washington police are building what will be the nation's biggest network of surveillance cameras to monitor shopping areas, streets, monuments and other public places in the U.S. capital, a move that worries civil liberties groups, The Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday.

The system would eventually include hundreds of cameras, linking existing devices in Metro mass transit stations, public schools and traffic intersections to new digital cameras mounted to watch over neighborhoods and shopping districts, the Journal said.

"In the context of Sept. 11, we have no choice but to accept greater use of this technology," Stephen Gaffigan, the head of the police department project, told the Journal.

He said city officials had studied the British surveillance system, which has more than 2 million cameras throughout the country, and were "intrigued by that model."

One of the first uses of police surveillance cameras in Washington was April 2000, when authorities set up a network to monitor protests during a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the newspaper said.

On Tuesday morning, in response to the latest terror alert issued by the Justice Department, police activated a $7 million command center that was first used on Sept. 11. The command center, which has dozens of video stations for monitoring cameras, will remain in use until federal officials end the alert, the Journal reported.

Cameras installed by the police have been programmed to scan public areas automatically, and officers can take over manual control if they want to examine something more closely.

The system currently does not permit an automated match between a face in the crowd and a computerized photo of a suspect, the Journal said. Gaffigan said officials were looking at the technology but had not decided whether to use it.

Eventually, images will be viewable on computers already installed in most of the city's 1,000 squad cars, the Journal said.

The Journal said the plans for Washington went far beyond what was in use in other U.S. cities, a development that worries civil liberties advocates.

Barry Steinhardt, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union in New York, noted there were few legal restrictions of video surveillance of public streets. But he said that by setting up a "central point of surveillance," it becomes likely that "the cameras will be more frequently used and more frequently abused."

"You are building in a surveillance infrastructure, and how it's used now is not likely how it's going to be used two years from now or five years from now," he told the Journal.

FreeRepublic Minute Men

CyberCowboy777

IMMINENT TERROR

FRiGHTENiNG!!!

TERRORIST ACTS IMMINENT

CULPEPPER ~ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials called an emergency press conference in the sleepy town of Culpepper this morning to inform tabloid journalists of impending terrorist attacks. FEMA spokesperson Buddy Himmler made a brief presentation outlining possible acts of terrorism and what steps the government has taken to preserve order.

Himmler told reporters that unknown political terrorists, already located in the country, are planning on using anthrax and nuclear bombs to attack the American government. Himmler was unable to explain why these insurgents would take such actions but was able to discuss their bizarre beliefs. According to Buddy, the terrorists have adopted the strange ideas contained in a mysterious ancient document. Little is known about the document by Federal officials other than it was written centuries ago by evil men. Officials have been unable to obtain an actual copy of the terrorist manifesto.

Government terrorism specialists believe there are a large number of "terrorist cells" operating within U.S. borders. Many of the insurgents operate outside the system in violation of laws and cultural norms. Often the terrorists do not have bank accounts, do not pay taxes, and do not use credit cards. According to Himmler, the terrorists live like gypsies and are difficult to monitor.

A number of precautions have already been taken and more safeguards are planned. Local police forces have been militarized, the National Guard is conducting mobilization exercises, Army and Marine special forces have been trained in urban warfare operations, NATO forces are on alert, and weapon confiscation efforts are underway. It is believed that plans to eliminate currency and electricity on December 31st will prevent many acts of terrorism against the government. Himmler said the public should rest assured that they have nothing to worry about thanks to clever planning by the Imperial President.

FEMA officials came to Culpepper yesterday when FBI agants found an abandoned vehicle containing a suspicious flag. Experts on terrorism believe the flag, which features the image of a poisonous snake, belongs to a terrorist cell known as the Culpepper Minute Men. According to Himmler, this anti-government group is considered armed and dangerous.

Like the captured terrorist flag shown below, many of the flags used by terrorists incorporate hate-speach slogans such as "don't tread on me" and "liberty or death". After being photographed for evidentary purposes, FBI agents typically burn the terrorist flags when they are confiscated. Experts on terrorism urge citizens to avoid persons possessing suspicious flags and to alert the FBI immediately if such flags are seen.

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