Police Stun Guns and Patrol Car Video Surveillance

“Video camera systems are operated by humans who bring to the job all their existing prejudices and biases. In Great Britain, camera operators have been found to focus disproportionately on people of color. According to a sociological study of how the systems were operated, “Black people were between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half times more likely to be shriveled than one would expect from their presence in the population.”(ACLU, staff)

“Experts studying how the camera systems in Britain are operated have also found that the mostly male (and probably bored) operators frequently use the cameras to voyeuristically spy on women. Fully one in 10 women were targeted for entirely voyeuristic reasons, the researchers found. Many incidents have been reported in the United States. In one, New York City police in a helicopter supposedly monitoring the crowds at the 2004 Republican Convention trained an infrared video camera on an amorous couple enjoying the nighttime “privacy” of their rooftop balcony”(ACLU,staff).

“Like any intrusive technology, the benefits of deploying public video cameras must be balanced against the costs and dangers. This technology (a) has the potential change the core experience of going out in public in America because of its chilling effect on citizens, (b) carries very real dangers of abuse and “mission creep,” and (c) would not significantly protect us against terrorism. Given that, its benefits – preventing at most a few street crimes, and probably none – are disproportionately small” (ACLU, staff).

“Supporters of widespread surveillance often argue, “If you’re obeying the law, you have nothing to fear.” Why shouldn’t the same go for police officers? The cases above all involve accusations of extreme misconduct or errors on the part of police. Let’s hope those are rare. Far more common, I suspect, are cases where the existence of a video record helps protect honest cops from false charges. The “don’t Tase me, bro” case became a YouTube sensation after footage emerged of University of Florida police using a Taser on an obstreperous student” (Reynolds)

“People have a right to privacy, not just in their own home but when they are walking around the streets,” he said. (Reuters)

“This includes the right not to be singled out unfairly”. (Reuters)

“Camera operators have been sacked for homing in on good-looking women and remotely following them around town, and surveys show the staff who control them also succumb to prejudice, for example following young black males most closely”(Reuters).

In conclusion the American people have found themselves under the scrutiny of the government and are struggling to be free despite the interrogations which go on each and every day her at home in America. Who are the bad guys’ anyway? They certainly aren’t the American people who caused the problem such as 911. I say go after the real culprits who have disrespected the American flag and all the freedoms that go along with it. We should not suffer for other people’s acts outside of our society. The people that should be suffering are the terrorists who caused all of this in the first place.