PoliTech's Journal: California City to Use Red Light Cameras as Spy Cameras

From the "We Told You So" department...

California City to Transform Red Light Cameras Into Spy Cameras http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1886.asp

Oakland, California to lobby legislature to allow 24-hour video surveillance with red light camera system.

Privacy advocates have long viewed red light cameras with the suspicion that the devices were the first step down a path of increased surveillance.

Those fears may come true as the city of Oakland, California has revealed that it is working with the state legislature to secure a change in the law that will allow red light cameras to become full-scale surveillance cameras.

In a memo from the Oakland Police Department dated June 26, Police Chief Wayne G. Tucker recommended that the city's lobbyist be ordered to advocate a new law in Sacramento.

"The legislation would also allow the use of those (red light camera) images for evidentiary purposes other than the enforcement of red light violations, such as reckless driving, assaults, public nuisance activity, drug dealing, etc."

The camel's nose is now far enough under the privacy tent that soon we will be in bed with the whole 1984-ish video surveillance camel.

Update:

Heh ... days later this topic gets the green light...

Surveillance Camera Network Coming To New York?http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/04/075203/

I'm just that good! and you should really pay more attention when I post to my Journal. (It's not bragging if its true!)