NEGATIVE - DISADVANTAGE — PRIVACY HURTS SECURITY — LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIME DAMAGED 208

EXAMPLE: SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN PUBLIC PLACES

CAMERAS IN PUBLIC ARE AN IDEAL WAY TO COMBAT CRIME

IAN HARVEY, The Toronto Sun, April 22, 2000, SECTION: EDITORIAL/OPINION, Pg. 17 TITLE: VIDCAMS A TRIED AND TRUE CRIME DETERRENT // acs-EE2001

Cameras are much cheaper than police constables. They extend the long arm of the law, figuratively and literally. Cameras allow police to watch more territory more efficiently and allow one pair of eyes to do the work of dozens.

In this era of tight budgets it's a wonderful idea and one that's long overdue.

CAMERAS IN PUBLIC PLACES ARE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO STOP CRIME

Amitai Etzioni, Prof. George Washington Univ., USA TODAY, April 27, 2000, SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 17A TITLE: Balancing privacy, public good // acs-EE2001

Cameras in public places, such as parking lots and street corners, also are objected to despite the fact that they are an effective tool to deter crime. For instance, cameras used to capture the license plates of those who run red lights save lives while replacing cops at street corners. The Supreme Court has not objected, ruling that privacy is not violated when a reasonable person has no expectation of privacy.

Such cameras, however, trouble such privacy advocates as Marc Rotenberg, who worries that "surveillance" will become so routine that it will result in "the investigation and tracking of people in public places without any reason to believe they are engaged in wrongdoing."

UNITED KINGDOM EXPERIENCE SHOWS THAT CAMERAS IN PUBLIC PLACES ARE THE POLICE TOOL OF THE CENTURY

IAN HARVEY, The Toronto Sun, April 22, 2000, SECTION: EDITORIAL/OPINION, Pg. 17 TITLE: VIDCAMS A TRIED AND TRUE CRIME DETERRENT // acs-EE2001

A few years ago, I wrote a feature about the success of the British government in funding and developing a network of video cameras in major centres, all linked to and controlled by police dispatch rooms.

Back in 1996 the concept had proven itself as not only a crime deterrent but an effective investigative asset and was described as the "police tool of the century."

CAMERAS IN PUBLIC PLACES PREVENT CRIME, PROTECT VICTIMS, AND ASSURE THAT CRIMINALS ARE CONVICTED

IAN HARVEY, The Toronto Sun, April 22, 2000, SECTION: EDITORIAL/OPINION, Pg. 17 TITLE: VIDCAMS A TRIED AND TRUE CRIME DETERRENT // acs-EE2001

Yet in England, the concept of video surveillance as a police tool has won widespread public support despite initial fears over privacy. The payoff has been that crime has been slashed up to 50% in some areas. The key is not just being able to see a crime in progress, it's the ability to zero in on a scene when a 911 call (999 in England) is made.

Responding units are given a full appraisal of what they'll face, possibly including a description of a suspect and direction of travel.

The beauty of the video camera is that it catches the culprits red-handed and is almost impossible to weasel out of at trial, with the predictable result that most accused plead guilty, saving the cost of the trial and reducing the courts' backlog.