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Washington Plans Unprecedented Camera Network
REUTERS ^ | February 13, 2002 08:10 AM ET | Reuters

Posted on 02/13/2002 6:15:46 AM PST by goldylight

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.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: billofrights; biometrics; privacylist
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To: twigs
There apparently is software available that can "read" the pupil of the eye.

I saw on TV where they had a way to read heat in a persons face to see if they were telling a lie. Similar to one of those "aura machines."
When a person lies, the blood rushes to their face, and it shows up red in those areas. It was creepy!

81 posted on 02/13/2002 7:02:26 AM PST by concerned about politics
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To: AAABEST
Thanks for spoiling it. That was the most fun I've had all week!
82 posted on 02/13/2002 7:02:54 AM PST by Loopy
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To: NC_Libertarian
I was referring to War of the Worlds.

.

.

.

.

NOT! no, I screwed up, I have no idea why i did that. Did Orson Wells have anything to do with George Orwell, acting wise?.

Note to Rebelbase:.. time for brain lubrication.

83 posted on 02/13/2002 7:03:33 AM PST by Rebelbase
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To: twigs
There is software that will enable the computer to be controlled by eye-movements, no need for a mouse or keyboard. It's been developed with the intention of assisting disabled people but I'm sure it's application will extend far to other computer users eventually.
84 posted on 02/13/2002 7:05:13 AM PST by callisto
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To: Rebelbase
Mork calling Orson
85 posted on 02/13/2002 7:05:57 AM PST by NC_Libertarian
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To: Loopy
So if YOU say we are not, you are saying something negative about our beloved president. Therefore, you are Bashing Bush. And you are aiding the terrorists.

Clinton deployed troops 40 times during his 8 year reign of terror in an attempt to rule the world, but we were never officially at war with anyone .

86 posted on 02/13/2002 7:05:58 AM PST by concerned about politics
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To: Rebelbase
Think of it not as the end,but instead think of it as the beginning! The beginning of the real battle for liberty and freedom,the Second American Revolution. The destruction of the tools of tyranny,should be the duty of all freedom loving people. Post#6 by Boris an excellent srarting point.
87 posted on 02/13/2002 7:07:31 AM PST by meanspirit77
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To: Loopy
I'm glad your still here. You and I have'nt had much intercourse before and I could only take you at your word. I reported you as a possible disruptor. Sorry!
88 posted on 02/13/2002 7:07:53 AM PST by Rebelbase
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To: Loopy
What more can I say to your post other than that I've already said you are out to aid the terrorists. What are you saying about our beloved president? Our dear leader?

Yep. DU disrupter. No doubt. The sh*t just keeps getting deeper.

89 posted on 02/13/2002 7:08:34 AM PST by concerned about politics
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To: Rebelbase
Great pic. And appropriate.

"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered!" -- Number 6.

90 posted on 02/13/2002 7:08:58 AM PST by RogueIsland
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To: concerned about politics
I can't play anymore, AAABest "outed" me.

If you Freepmail me I give you the names of some real live nutters for you to ping and they'll take up where I left off.

91 posted on 02/13/2002 7:09:26 AM PST by Loopy
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To: Beelzebubba
"In the context of Sept. 11, we have no choice but to accept greater use of this technology,"

One word....BULLSHIT !!!


92 posted on 02/13/2002 7:09:34 AM PST by unixfox
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To: Beelzebubba
bump --
93 posted on 02/13/2002 7:09:54 AM PST by GOPJ
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To: goldylight
Do you realize the power that will be in the hands of the grunts who will have to maintain such a monsterous nightmare of cameras? It will become a broke-down mess of hardware within three years of use. Remember folks, this is the gub'mint at it's best. Do you realize how much money can be extorted by arranging to have camera's not working?
94 posted on 02/13/2002 7:10:13 AM PST by blackdog
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To: twigs; concerned about politics
I've also heard of software being considered in England that was supposed to read body language for signs of aggression.

The idea was that a crime could be detected before it happened by computerized scanning of the crowd for suspicious behavior, such as walking too fast. They claimed to have observed from their previous spying on the public that fast walking preceded a significant amount of assaults.

So you'd need to walk slowly with your hands by your sides and don't make any suspicious or sudden movements, if you don't want to be stopped for questioning.

No, I'm not making this up. I saw the article here on FR, but unfortunately I didn't save it.

95 posted on 02/13/2002 7:11:28 AM PST by freeeee
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To: Loopy
If telling lies, false accusations and wasting space is your idea of fun, I switch my opinion away from "sarcastic" to "totally mentally deficient and rude".

.....kinda' sad to think that you might be old enough to vote...kinda' sad to think about the gene pool.

96 posted on 02/13/2002 7:12:34 AM PST by KirklandJunction
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To: Rebelbase; concerned about politics
14, right.
97 posted on 02/13/2002 7:12:46 AM PST by technochick99
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To: Loopy
If you Freepmail me I give you the names of some real live nutters for you to ping and they'll take up where I left off.

You showed the perfect example of the mind of a democrat.

98 posted on 02/13/2002 7:13:34 AM PST by concerned about politics
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To: KirklandJunction
I'll accept mentally deficient. But rude? C'mon I was nowhere near as bad as I've been called.
99 posted on 02/13/2002 7:14:12 AM PST by Loopy
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To: concerned about politics
No comprende? I'm not a democrat and never have been. I was a communist in college for a while, but I outgrew it. Does that count?
100 posted on 02/13/2002 7:15:57 AM PST by Loopy
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