Mayor Bloomberg went on a little trip to London this week. He liked what he saw in their public transporation system. All of their busses and subways have 2 to 3 cameras in each car.
I think it is a great idea. It will hopefully make us safer…that’s obvious. But what I’m really hoping it will do is cut down on the graffiti and defacement of the subways.
Bloomberg also enjoyed their community bike program.
I hate all that etched crap that those asshole wannabe artists/gangsters tag on the windows. This would catch them on tape. Of course, this all assumes that there would be some sort of enforcement associated with the taping. It will not do any good if the police don’t follow up on what they see. So I guess that’s just another challenge.
Unfortunately, Bloomberg said something that I know is going to come back to haunt him almost immediately:
“We just have to do something here to make the city safer. Sadly, it is a little bit of an infringement on your rights,” Bloomberg told a news conference. [Reuters]
Some NYC busses have cameras mounted in them. However, you don’t often hear of many bus related crimes for some reason.
Anway, our subway survelance security is pretty pathetic. There’s entire stops that have one or no cameras at all.
There’s a reason that there’s cameras every 8 feet in casinos, banks, federal buildings, shopping malls, etc. They help protect the people and the property.
Protecting the people has its obvious benefits. Protecting the property protects what Americans value most…their money. Lowering vandalism will actually save tax payer/fare payer money in the long run.
SUBWAYblogger 
I do not support the installation of more cameras. Our privacy is infringed upon enough & without too much to show for it. Why waste more money to infringe on us more & get little accomplished.
Most of the subway cameras are in place & don’t do that much to deter things from happening. Anyone with half a brain would know how to work around them. Even if they are caught on camera, are they being monitored 24×7 to alert police?
People should learn to understand that because something works in once place does not mean it will work for another.
LikeLike
Well in general, the argument against cameras just because people don’t want to be watched doesn’t hold much water.
You have the right to not have cameras in your home, but as soon as you walk out the front door, all bets are off. You dont have the right not to be filmed in public.
And if you’re not doing anything illegal on camera, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.
LikeLike
Yes, all bets are off but who wants to live in a society where our every move is watched? The sort of world which comes from that is not what this country was built on.
The factor of not worrying about it if we are doing no wrong does not hold water. We should not have to be watched to prove that we are not doing wrong. Plus it is a waste of money as we all know the maintenance won’t be up to par & it will cost more in the long run than it is worth.
LikeLike
The cameras would be a great deterrrent against potential muggers or gang activity. The cameras can provied a bigger sense of security amoung straphangers. I believe Bloomberg should go ahead with this plan.
LikeLike