Chicago Cops on Cameras
For most people, the debate about camera effectiveness on crime is a detached one, even for those in the business of using or selling cameras. However, there is one group that is highly affected by the cameras and frequently overlooked. In fact, I can’t remember any article that considers the view of everyday police officers (including yours truly). I recently found a blog that serves as an unofficial voice of the CPD. They have strong and articulate views on the cameras and their effectiveness. I am only quoting the contents of the original post, but the comments are 10x better.
This excerpt is about the new 911 system being tied to the cameras:
We’ll tell you what happens next:
- a rather high percentage of the cameras aren’t working;
- cops running from paper job to paper job can’t get there in a timely fashion;
cops in 200K mile pool cars can’t get to the jobs;
- victims are going to get dragged into gangways, alleys, garages and are going to get a lot more damaged added to their plate since cops can’t find them.
We will repeat what we’ve said before – a camera has never prevented a crime. And a camera has never climbed down off the pole and actually arrested anyone.
Crime may have moved around the corner, but criminals don’t fear cameras. The amount of data generated by these machines is impossible to catalog and store and the criminals know that no one is going to be running through a few thousand hours of film to find a cigarette seller or three-bag dope pinch. Cameras provide an illusion of police presence, but only the sheep are impressed. The wolves haven’t cared for a while.
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