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Surveillance cameras seen as effective deterrents; critics worry about privacy issues
12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, March 22, 2008
By RICHARD ABSHIRE and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
It's not Batman, but it's close.
[Click image for a larger version] G.J. McCARTHY/DMN
G.J. McCARTHY/DMN
A sign warns of camera surveillance in the Wynnewood North neighborhood in Oak Cliff. In Far Northeast Dallas, Richland Park Estates homeowners have installed 10 cameras and are impressed with the results.
No matter how eerie the moonless night when the echoing footfalls of a stranger send a chill up your spine, there's a chance that help is at hand, that someone out there is watching – through the lens of a video camera.
Local law-enforcement agencies, traffic managers and merchants are all using closed-circuit video systems, many designed for round-the-clock monitoring, remote camera control and quick response.
[Click image for a larger version] ELIZABETH M. CLAFFEY/DMN
ELIZABETH M. CLAFFEY/DMN
Bruce Sales, an employee of the Mesquite Police Department, monitors cars and traffic from his computer using surveillance cameras.
But according to police, the cameras are such effective deterrents to crime that merchants who support their use have been threatened by criminals.
"It's a great tool for us," said Dallas police Sgt. Geraldine White, a supervisor in the Central Patrol investigative unit. "I've had many cases come across my desk where suspects have been caught in the act of stealing."
But critics question the effectiveness of surveillance cameras and point to the possibility of invasions of privacy.
Most of the cameras monitored by police have not been in service long enough to give a complete picture of their effectiveness. But early results appear good:
• Dallas police reported 12 percent fewer post-camera crimes in the Central Business District in 2007 than in pre-camera 2006. Arrests were up 9 percent. About 40 cameras are operating in about 30 locations.
• In the 62-block Jubilee Park neighborhood, crime was down about 13 percent in the last six months of 2007, after cameras were installed. Arrests were up 21 percent from 2006 to 2007. Seven cameras are in operation.
• A 2004-05 Deep Ellum pilot project appears to have had spectacular results: Monitored on weekends, about 16 cameras were credited with reducing violent crime by 96 percent and property crime by 48 percent. But crime had spiked in the area before they were installed, and police also had a heightened presence during the roughly three-month test period.
Some more-recent Dallas statistics may be swayed by changes in the way crimes are reported to the FBI. Since last year, for example, several car burglaries in the same block sometimes count as one offense if police think the same burglar committed the crimes.
Some critics worry about the potential for invasions of privacy that may go beyond legitimate law-enforcement interests. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C., also question whether the cameras are cost-effective.
"What we want are more officers on the street and better education of the public to prevent crime," said Melissa Ngo, senior counsel with the information center.
Law-enforcement experts say most of the expense of the cameras is up-front – purchase and installation. Operating costs should be much less than salaries and benefits for officers over time.
Retired and light-duty officers watch feeds from surveillance cameras in the Dallas dispatch center, scanning wide-screen or zooming in on people of interest.
"It's sometimes slow," said retired officer Paul Beckwith. "But at times, when we get three incidents going on [at the same time], it gets pretty hairy."
He once spotted a man loitering in front of the bus station in the wee hours. Suspecting he might be a drug dealer, Mr. Beckwith zoomed in close when a potential customer appeared.
The video definition was so crisp he could see the dealer pass plastic-wrapped cocaine to the customer and pocket two $5 bills.
Mr. Beckwith called in patrol officers to make the arrest.
"I could even see the officers pull the money out of his pocket," he said.
About 1:30 a.m. April 20, a Dallas police camera spied a burglar breaking into pay boxes in a Star Parking lot in the 800 block of South Lamar Street.
Patrol officers directed to the scene arrested Stephen Dwayne Cannada, 34, and Christopher Owens, 22, and confiscated burglar tools.
Both men were convicted on misdemeanor charges.
"This gives police another tool to watch a greater area," said John Hall, manager of Star Parking. "A lot of the crimes we're talking about are pretty petty, but they do detract from the quality of life. I think every little bit helps."
Mr. Hall said he doesn't think many people are aware of the cameras, but those who learn of them think it's a great idea.
"I've not heard anybody holler, 'Big Brother' or 'You're doing this or that or violating constitutional rights,' " he said.
Not just Dallas
Other cities are getting into the act.
Arlington is in the process of putting cameras in its entertainment district, and Fort Worth police plan to install surveillance cameras but have not done so yet.
Mesquite police say the nine grant-funded cameras installed in the Town East retail district in mid-November have paid off by debunking a false report by a motorist who claimed a man impersonating an officer had stopped her on LBJ Freeway and zapped her with a cattle prod when she wouldn't get out of her car.
"We reviewed tapes from before she claimed it happened to after and she wasn't there," said Lt. Steve Callarman of the Mesquite Police Department.
He said the woman might never have admitted she had lied if not for the video proof.
It's not just the police.
Cameras are at intersections – designed to capture images of red-light violators – and they monitor North Texas highways.
"We can see what's going on before we could get out there on the road," said Kelli Petras at Texas Department of Transportation headquarters in Mesquite. "We can dispatch the right resources, which makes us more efficient."
TxDOT and North Texas Tollway staffers notify police if they see criminal activity on their live cameras – but crime-fighting is not their primary function, and statistics were not readily available.
Richland Park Estates homeowners installed seven cameras in their Far Northeast Dallas neighborhood in 2006 and added three more later, impressed with their impact.
"When we started out, we were doing about 2.4 crimes a week," said Dick Becker, former head of the 140-home association. "Out of the past 24 weeks, we've only had two incidents."
Having an active crime-watch group makes the cameras more effective, he added.
Bill Mott, another Richland Park Estates resident, became a partner in the company that installed the cameras.
"When I saw how it worked, I closed a 26-year-old business of my own and bought into Omni-Watch," he said.
The company has installed cameras in 11 more neighborhoods in Dallas and in Plano, Arlington and other cities across the state.
A calmer neighborhood
Today, a camera in Jubilee Park looks down on a mom-and-pop store where Alemu Abebe was murdered before the camera was installed.
Mr. Abebe's brother, Daniel Takele, doesn't think cameras would have saved his brother's life.
"Those kinds of people aren't that intelligent," he said. "They act on impulse."
But he does think cameras could help police solve such crimes. No arrests have been made in his brother's killing.
Across the street, Sebastian Arriaga said he believes the cameras have calmed the neighborhood.
"There used to be a lot of fighting," he said. But criminals are "now are afraid because there is a camera."
rabshire@dallasnews.com
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
200 surveillance cameras at Van Dyke houses fail to stop rape suspect
Even with so many cameras, to catch someone in the act, someone needs to be monitoring the cameras for them to be effective immediately. Which bring us to the second point. Even though a crime happened, hopefully the images and videos that were captured were enough to catch the criminal and put him behind bars.
EyeSpyTech feels really sorry for the person who was raped, but hopefully with the video that was captured, police can take a predator off of the streets.
BY DORIAN BLOCK, VERONIKA BELENKAYA and ALISON GENDAR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Friday, March 21st 2008, 4:00 AM
Video surveillance image of unidentified rape suspect inside elevator Thursday at Van Dyke housing complex in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Once again a rapist was caught on videotape, and once again cops failed to see him, police sources said Thursday.
A 19-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint inside the Van Dyke houses in Brooklyn early Thursday - a housing complex with more than 200 cameras supposedly monitored around the clock by the NYPD.
Sources told the Daily News that at least one video camera recorded the rapist grabbing the young woman and pulling her into an elevator.
The suspect hustled the young woman out of the elevator and raped her in a stairwell landing of the Brownsville complex, sources said. The actual sexual assault was not caught on video, police said.
"What he did is the worst thing to do to someone," the victim's aunt said. "He is a monster, this man."
Police officials believe the attacker is the same man who raped a 30-year-old woman March 6 in the housing complex.
In both cases, the man wielded a knife and dragged his victim to a stairway landing. Both times he made similar threats, saying, "Don't scream, don't fight or I'll stab you," sources said.
The 30-year-old victim told police she recognized the man from the neighborhood, which is why her guard was down.
What horrified residents was that in both cases, the rapist, if not the violent attack, was caught on video. The suspect who raped the woman March 6 was on camera for nearly 30 minutes, sources said.
Roughly 224 cameras feed live video to 30 small TV monitors. Each camera's image flashes for only seven seconds.
Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said the actual sex assault was not filmed. He said there was no indiction that any suspicious action was transmitted in the seven-second bursts.
Police released a video image of the suspect - and offered a $12,000 reward for his capture.
The video monitors are staffed mostly by cops who are on medical leave or face disciplinary action and cannot carry a weapon.
The officers, in the so-called viper units, call other cops to respond to criminal activity.
"It's mind-numbing, and actually difficult, to watch 30, 40, 50 cameras, all flashing different images every five to seven seconds," said a cop familiar with the system. "It's bad for the residents, it's bad for the cops."
Police asked anyone with information about the suspect to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-8477.
agendar@nydailynews.com
Discuss this Article
48 comments
lindy Mar 21, 2008 5:36:32 PM Report Offensive Post
Can we please stop yapping about whether Obama's grandmother was afraid of black people....let's get down to the issues and what is he going to do about it. I am tired of talk, let's see if he can walk the walk. He is about as black as I am and I am a white person. He has no idea what it is like to be black in America. Why do black people believe he is like them. He is a white guy who has a black father that he hardly ever saw. He was RAISED WHITE. Let's settle that and get down to the issues. I don't care if his skin is RED, can he pull this country out of the **** **** Bush has created.
Calico Mar 21, 2008 5:55:43 PM Report Offensive Post
Another point of view - hold it. I NEVER said that I don't like cops. I HAVE stated repeatedly that I do NOT tolerate nor accept cops that are abusive bullies, crooked, corrupt, deviants, drug users &/or peddlers, inept, incompetent, malfeasant, rogue, wife-beaters or those that pimpp minors. BIG difference. I want honest cops that are not bullies or trigger happy. BIG difference...! I suppose you'd be surprised if I found something to agree with you on? I do NOT like Black criminals. I do NOT like Hispanic criminals (regardless of nationality), I do NOT like Caucasian criminals or any kind of criminal... period! I particularly abhor child predators or those that abuse, rape & torture women or victimize women or children. BUT, I also do not like incompetent & malfeasant deadbeats in education, housing, MTA, politics, government, etc.
Calico Mar 21, 2008 5:58:56 PM Report Offensive Post
LanceKates - I've said it often before and I'll repeat it again: I am in favor of gun control... A FIRM TWO-HANDED GRIP! I think that says it all.
datroofpleez Mar 21, 2008 6:34:32 PM Report Offensive Post
maybe not enough cops actually watch the show and they really are trying to hide from cameras these days so there will be no proof of them playing around with their guns and b - s' n while on duty plus they can't shoot anyone ..
Shadmin Mar 21, 2008 6:48:21 PM Report Offensive Post
I feel for you who live in another fiefdom (New York City) which has a Criminal Workplace Safety bill in place. That is what the result is when citizens are not allowed to defend themselves with lethal force. Guns may not be the perfect solution but they do give those who are not physically able to defend themselves one on one against the disenfranchised victims of the elitist society ie (criminals) a chance to defend themselves at least! I dont care how poor someone was growing up or how discriminated against they feel they have been, thats a **** poor excuse to be a criminal and victimize others! Upbringing no matter how terrible is not the blame for criminal behavior the blame is on that person who has decided to commit the horrific crimes and we as a society need to hold them fully accountable! Either throw them in prison for life (no parole) for even one sex offense or give them the death penalty! How many more victims do we need before everyone finally gets sick of it and says e
2bit Mar 21, 2008 6:53:47 PM Report Offensive Post
What folly to expect the government, any government to protect you 24/7! If anything, by butting in the government just mucks up the works. Protect yourself, defend yourself, better yourself, do for yourself and for gosh sake, live for yourself! Less government is better government. People, wean yourselves; then you will be proud, happy and independent.
Famous N Randy Mar 21, 2008 8:37:46 PM Report Offensive Post
Just so long as they don't allow people to arm up to protect themselves from cowardly vermin like this. We can't have that. The police can obviously help in situations like this. Pay no attention to the 2nd amendment. Just ask any lib.
Conny_Lyngus Mar 21, 2008 11:09:51 PM Report Offensive Post
Sounds like he was just keepin it real!
Bat Masterson Mar 22, 2008 12:21:11 AM Report Offensive Post
this is a sick person . I can understand the need for sex but I buy it before I rape a any woman. no sex is worth 25 years
luds21 Mar 22, 2008 3:36:20 AM Report Offensive Post
The only thing the police/government can do is come clean up the mess. Take the report, interview the victim and other witnesses. When are people going to realize they need to take action to protect themselves? Why is it that it is not reported that the cities that have the strictest gun laws have the highest crime rates, murders, rapes, and robberies? Wake up America. Liberal ideas sound good at the surface (i.e. just ban all guns and we will all live in peace and harmony).
EyeSpyTech feels really sorry for the person who was raped, but hopefully with the video that was captured, police can take a predator off of the streets.
BY DORIAN BLOCK, VERONIKA BELENKAYA and ALISON GENDAR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Friday, March 21st 2008, 4:00 AM
Video surveillance image of unidentified rape suspect inside elevator Thursday at Van Dyke housing complex in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Once again a rapist was caught on videotape, and once again cops failed to see him, police sources said Thursday.
A 19-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint inside the Van Dyke houses in Brooklyn early Thursday - a housing complex with more than 200 cameras supposedly monitored around the clock by the NYPD.
Sources told the Daily News that at least one video camera recorded the rapist grabbing the young woman and pulling her into an elevator.
The suspect hustled the young woman out of the elevator and raped her in a stairwell landing of the Brownsville complex, sources said. The actual sexual assault was not caught on video, police said.
"What he did is the worst thing to do to someone," the victim's aunt said. "He is a monster, this man."
Police officials believe the attacker is the same man who raped a 30-year-old woman March 6 in the housing complex.
In both cases, the man wielded a knife and dragged his victim to a stairway landing. Both times he made similar threats, saying, "Don't scream, don't fight or I'll stab you," sources said.
The 30-year-old victim told police she recognized the man from the neighborhood, which is why her guard was down.
What horrified residents was that in both cases, the rapist, if not the violent attack, was caught on video. The suspect who raped the woman March 6 was on camera for nearly 30 minutes, sources said.
Roughly 224 cameras feed live video to 30 small TV monitors. Each camera's image flashes for only seven seconds.
Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said the actual sex assault was not filmed. He said there was no indiction that any suspicious action was transmitted in the seven-second bursts.
Police released a video image of the suspect - and offered a $12,000 reward for his capture.
The video monitors are staffed mostly by cops who are on medical leave or face disciplinary action and cannot carry a weapon.
The officers, in the so-called viper units, call other cops to respond to criminal activity.
"It's mind-numbing, and actually difficult, to watch 30, 40, 50 cameras, all flashing different images every five to seven seconds," said a cop familiar with the system. "It's bad for the residents, it's bad for the cops."
Police asked anyone with information about the suspect to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-8477.
agendar@nydailynews.com
Discuss this Article
48 comments
lindy Mar 21, 2008 5:36:32 PM Report Offensive Post
Can we please stop yapping about whether Obama's grandmother was afraid of black people....let's get down to the issues and what is he going to do about it. I am tired of talk, let's see if he can walk the walk. He is about as black as I am and I am a white person. He has no idea what it is like to be black in America. Why do black people believe he is like them. He is a white guy who has a black father that he hardly ever saw. He was RAISED WHITE. Let's settle that and get down to the issues. I don't care if his skin is RED, can he pull this country out of the **** **** Bush has created.
Calico Mar 21, 2008 5:55:43 PM Report Offensive Post
Another point of view - hold it. I NEVER said that I don't like cops. I HAVE stated repeatedly that I do NOT tolerate nor accept cops that are abusive bullies, crooked, corrupt, deviants, drug users &/or peddlers, inept, incompetent, malfeasant, rogue, wife-beaters or those that pimpp minors. BIG difference. I want honest cops that are not bullies or trigger happy. BIG difference...! I suppose you'd be surprised if I found something to agree with you on? I do NOT like Black criminals. I do NOT like Hispanic criminals (regardless of nationality), I do NOT like Caucasian criminals or any kind of criminal... period! I particularly abhor child predators or those that abuse, rape & torture women or victimize women or children. BUT, I also do not like incompetent & malfeasant deadbeats in education, housing, MTA, politics, government, etc.
Calico Mar 21, 2008 5:58:56 PM Report Offensive Post
LanceKates - I've said it often before and I'll repeat it again: I am in favor of gun control... A FIRM TWO-HANDED GRIP! I think that says it all.
datroofpleez Mar 21, 2008 6:34:32 PM Report Offensive Post
maybe not enough cops actually watch the show and they really are trying to hide from cameras these days so there will be no proof of them playing around with their guns and b - s' n while on duty plus they can't shoot anyone ..
Shadmin Mar 21, 2008 6:48:21 PM Report Offensive Post
I feel for you who live in another fiefdom (New York City) which has a Criminal Workplace Safety bill in place. That is what the result is when citizens are not allowed to defend themselves with lethal force. Guns may not be the perfect solution but they do give those who are not physically able to defend themselves one on one against the disenfranchised victims of the elitist society ie (criminals) a chance to defend themselves at least! I dont care how poor someone was growing up or how discriminated against they feel they have been, thats a **** poor excuse to be a criminal and victimize others! Upbringing no matter how terrible is not the blame for criminal behavior the blame is on that person who has decided to commit the horrific crimes and we as a society need to hold them fully accountable! Either throw them in prison for life (no parole) for even one sex offense or give them the death penalty! How many more victims do we need before everyone finally gets sick of it and says e
2bit Mar 21, 2008 6:53:47 PM Report Offensive Post
What folly to expect the government, any government to protect you 24/7! If anything, by butting in the government just mucks up the works. Protect yourself, defend yourself, better yourself, do for yourself and for gosh sake, live for yourself! Less government is better government. People, wean yourselves; then you will be proud, happy and independent.
Famous N Randy Mar 21, 2008 8:37:46 PM Report Offensive Post
Just so long as they don't allow people to arm up to protect themselves from cowardly vermin like this. We can't have that. The police can obviously help in situations like this. Pay no attention to the 2nd amendment. Just ask any lib.
Conny_Lyngus Mar 21, 2008 11:09:51 PM Report Offensive Post
Sounds like he was just keepin it real!
Bat Masterson Mar 22, 2008 12:21:11 AM Report Offensive Post
this is a sick person . I can understand the need for sex but I buy it before I rape a any woman. no sex is worth 25 years
luds21 Mar 22, 2008 3:36:20 AM Report Offensive Post
The only thing the police/government can do is come clean up the mess. Take the report, interview the victim and other witnesses. When are people going to realize they need to take action to protect themselves? Why is it that it is not reported that the cities that have the strictest gun laws have the highest crime rates, murders, rapes, and robberies? Wake up America. Liberal ideas sound good at the surface (i.e. just ban all guns and we will all live in peace and harmony).
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Nanny Cams Put On Blast by Opra
I don't think many people even
think about this type of abuse, but Nanny/Granny
Cams
are so necessary. Thank God my 91 year old grandmom is very independent
and we don't need any outside help. I know I would have blown my top to
see this happen to a family member.
Oprah Puts
Spotlight on Granny Cams
think about this type of abuse, but Nanny/Granny
Cams
are so necessary. Thank God my 91 year old grandmom is very independent
and we don't need any outside help. I know I would have blown my top to
see this happen to a family member.
Oprah Puts
Spotlight on Granny Cams
abuse and neglect.
Even if you pay good
money, incidents still happen. Recently, an episode
on Oprah
spotlighted this growing and very alarming social problem. The segment
featured Jaki, a dutiful daughter who thought she had her bed-ridden
father’s best interests at heart when she hired a caretaker
named
Anastasia to care for him while Jaki was at work. Her father was frail
and suffering from dementia and a series of strokes, so Anastasia cared
for Jaki’s dad in-home and full-time.
Jaki installed a
surveillance camera because she “didn’t trust
anybody” but after a
while, failed to check on the tapes due to her busy lifestyle. After
several weeks and acting on the sole basis of her intuition, she
checked the tapes. What she saw shocked and devastated her. Jaki
relates, “she just starts taking her fist and just beating
him in his
chest and in his stomach. I think every place on his body that she
could actually strike him, she did.”
Devastated, Jaki called the
police. Anastasia was “charged on multiple counts of
second-degree
assault, reckless endangerment and vulnerable adult abuse. After
posting her $5,000 bail, Anastasia fled the country…just
eight days
before her trial.”
Sadness aside, what can we learn from this
horrible incident? Here are some important points on
using cameras in the home:
On the Con Side
Cameras
are often seen as “Big Brother,” taking away
privacy from those who
deserve respect and dignity in their later life. As one nursing home
owner said, “A lot of intimate care takes place at the
bedside.”
Nursing home workers feel unjustly scrutinized. The nursing homes are
concerned about issues of possible lawsuits if workers are accused.
On the Pro Side
Some
nursing home operators say the cameras ensure the staff is well trained
(and behaved). Cameras can validate that bruises were simply a result
of a restless night and prevent a lawsuit. Proponents say they are
necessary since mandatory background checks on caregivers are not a
deterrent to what some see as rampant elder abuse. One facility in
Florida saw their liability-insurance premiums fall from $57,000 last
year to $11,000. They see this as a way of defraying the cost of the
equipment.
So what should you do if you suspect elder abuse?
Follow these simple steps:
- First, know what to look for and what the signs
are: physical symptoms like bruises, withdrawn behavior and unaccounted
financial changes. - Experts agree that you should probably not talk to the
abuser. They may flee or retaliate. - Do
follow your intuition – if you feel something is wrong, it
probably is.
Don’t worry about not being “nice.”
Better to be safe than sorry. - If
you have evidence, report it to authorities right away. If you suspect
there is imminent danger, call 911 and report to the police. - If there is no imminent danger, contact your local welfare
and social service agencies. - If the abuse happens at an institution like a nursing home,
contact your state’s long-term care ombudsman.
For more information, go to the website for the National
Center for Elder Abuse. To find your local and state
agencies, check out this AARP
bulletin.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Daily Surveillance News
Hello Everyone,
I thought this was an interesting article. Our intention at EyeSpyTech is to bring the most up to date news about all kinds of surveillance. Whether it be Nanny Cams to large scale video surveillance security systems.
Whether you are in favor of Video Surveillance Cameras or not, we believe that they can be a very effective deterrent of crimes and abuse. Take for example this article published by the Staten Island Advance.
by Staten Island Advance
I thought this was an interesting article. Our intention at EyeSpyTech is to bring the most up to date news about all kinds of surveillance. Whether it be Nanny Cams to large scale video surveillance security systems.
Whether you are in favor of Video Surveillance Cameras or not, we believe that they can be a very effective deterrent of crimes and abuse. Take for example this article published by the Staten Island Advance.
Please leave any comments or feelings. We like dialog.
Staten Island Railway security cameras help capture alleged robber
by Staten Island Advance Tuesday January 15, 2008, 1:50 PM
The security camera installed at a Staten Island Railway station helped MTA cops track down and arrest a suspect accused of robbing a 72-year-old woman waiting for a train, officials announced today.
The incident happened on Jan. 7 on the eastbound platform of the Old Town station.
The suspect was caught two days later at the Clifton Railway station, based on the description from the surveillance video.
Councilman James Oddo and Assistant Deputy Chief Thomas Odessa of the MTA Police described the details of the arrest during a press conference today, and Oddo announced the allocation of $1 million for expansion of the camera system to other stations on the line.
"It was a great combination of good old-fashioned police work and new technology," said Oddo.
"They went to the videotape," said Oddo of police, mimicking the signature line of veteran sports broadcaster Warner Wolf.
Oddo also pledged to continue pushing the city Parks Department to install security cameras in selected parks.
-- Contributed by Maura Yates
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