Nicole Migut (FGCU):Surveillance bad or good?

4. February 2010 by student.

Technology these days are being used more and more by law enforcement.  Automated cameras are seen and used more in cities.  Camera systems are set up to monitor public streets, such as on top of a street to catch runners and/or speeders.  The installation of cameras will reduce crime or at least drive criminal activity elsewhere.  Camera systems can promote security and safety.  Although cameras are not perfectly reliable, I believe that they are more reliable and honest then a human police officer. For example, a camera tells the truth where as a police officer may not have a reliable observation on how fast I may have been driving or remembering what exactly happened?  Humans make mistakes, where as camera won’t lie, of course as if that camera is properly calibrated.  Yet it is easier to determine the camera’s calibration than a police officers sharp observation.  Yes, a camera can not detect who is the driver when running a red light, but it is basically the same aspect as getting a parking ticket.  The officer leaving the ticket does not know who the driver is,  but yet they believe that we should be rightly held responsible for the actions of those who we trust to drive our cars.

With that, even though surveillance may decrease our privacy, our safety and security is more taken into place.  Surveillance cameras can be successful.  One fact that proves it, is during one of the Super Bowls, police were to use face recognition technology to catch fugitives.

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