INTRODUCTION  –  GUIDELINES  FOR  PUBLIC  VIDEO  SURVEILLANCE  

Excerpt  from  “The  Constitution  Project”    

Within  days  of  the  July  2005  bombings  on  London’s  subway  and  bus  system,  authorities  had  identified  the  bombers,  retraced  their  paths,  and  detained  suspected  accomplices  thanks  in  part  to  footage  from  London’s  elaborate  public  video  surveillance  system.  While  the  cameras  did  not  prevent  the  attacks,  their  value  in  the  subsequent  investigation  has  reinvigorated  movements,  both  in  the  United  States  and  elsewhere,  to  develop  similar  systems.  From  Washington,  D.C.  to  Paris,  France  to  Cicero,  Illinois,  local  officials  are  expressing  renewed  interest  in  video  surveillance.  And  this  surveillance  is  a  far  cry  from  the  simple  closed-­‐circuit  camera  systems  employed  by  law  enforcement  agencies  in  the  past.  Officials  concerned  about  terrorist  and  other  serious  threats  are  seeking  public  video  surveillance  systems  that  are  pervasive,  intelligent,  and  outfitted  with  the  latest  technologies.  

The  potential  of  video  surveillance  has  generated  interest  among  state  and  local  law  enforcement  officials,  who  see  video  surveillance  as  a  cost-­‐effective  and  unobtrusive  means  of  combating  serious  threats  to  public  safety.  Many  civil  libertarians  and  privacy  advocates,  in  contrast,  believe  that  pervasive  government  surveillance,  which  will  inevitably  capture  the  activity  of  law-­‐abiding  people,  is  antithetical  to  the  ideals  of  a  society  that  values  individual  rights,  autonomy,  and  freedom  from  government  intrusion.  Reconciliation  of  these  important  concerns  demands  the  serious  attention  of  citizens,  lawmakers,  law  enforcement  agencies,  and  eventually  the  courts.  

As  we  use  the  term  here,  a  “public  video  surveillance  system”  is  a  camera  network  administered  by  or  for  law  enforcement  to  monitor  activities  in  a  public  place  or  places.  At  its  simplest,  it  is  nothing  more  than  a  small  network  of  cameras  that  allows  an  officer  to  quickly  scan  current  activity  in  an  area.  At  its  most  complex,  such  a  surveillance  system  can  include  hundreds  or  thousands  of  cameras—equipped  with  technologies  like  high  resolution  and  magnification,  motion  detection,  infrared  vision,  and  automated  identification—all  linked  to  a  powerful  network  capable  of  automated  tracking,  archiving,  and  identifying  suspect  behavior.  What  was  once  the  grist  of  science  fiction  novels  is  quickly  becoming  the  reality  of  modern  law  enforcement.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ms.  Peterson:  Summer  School  English  2013  “Guidelines  for  Public  Video  Surveillance  Guidelines”  Reading  Comprehension  and  Discussion  Questions  

 Directions:    

• After  reading  “Guidelines  for  Public  Video  Surveillance  Guidelines,”  answer  each  of  the  following  questions  to  the  best  of  your  ability.    

• Be  sure  to  use  complete  sentences  and  examples  from  the  text  to  support  your  answers  for  full  credit.    

• Answer  the  questions  in  your  notebook  and  leave  space  to  add  notes  based  on  our  discussion.  

 1. What  were  the  cameras  used  as  after  the  2005  bombings  in  London?    2. What  changed  throughout  the  world  after  the  bombings?    3. What  are  the  two  arguments  made  in  paragraph  two?  Explain.    4. What  is  a  “public  video  surveillance  system”?