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Ohio Now Using Portable Surveillance Towers at Large Events

The state of Ohio is taking surveillance to the next level by purchasing two portable, video surveillance towers.  According to The Columbus Dispatch, the Ohio Department of Public Safety will be using the towers, made by Flir Systems Inc., at large events that bring in big crowds, such as the Ohio State Fair and concerts.  The towers are fully equipped with surveillance cameras, loudspeakers, spotlights, and a sophisticated radar system.  Flir’s website says the towers offer a “completely customized surveillance platform suitable for high-level, temporary security ventures, providing a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding area.”

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Use of New Surveillance Technology Leads to Lawsuit Against LAPD

Fox News is reporting that last week, a joint lawsuit was filed against the Los Angeles Police Department by the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) for their failure to disclose data collected through Automatic License Plate Readers, or ALPRs. According to the lawsuit, ALPRs have the ability to record and document the destinations that motorists are going to, which are referred to as “data points.”

Jessica Lynch, an EFF Staff Attorney, says these data points allows law enforcement to get a first-hand account of your personal daily routine. “By matching your car to a particular time, date and location – and building a database of that information over time – law enforcement can learn where you work and live, what doctor you go to, which religious services you attend, and who your friends are.”

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Calls for More Surveillance Echoing Across the Country

According to a CNN Money article by Keith Proctor, following the tragic terrorist bombings in Boston, more and more lawmakers are calling for increased surveillance across the country, ensuring the continued growth of the surveillance industry.  Proctor says that although privacy issues will always be a hurdle in regards to surveillance, people are starting to value their personal safety over their privacy.

But due to drastic cuts in Homeland Security grants to states over the years, lawmakers have to figure out how to increase surveillance with less money.  The result?  Drastically improved surveillance technology, referred to as “video analytics,” where surveillance footage is analyzed entirely by artificial intelligence.

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FBI Being Sued Over Secret Surveillance Program

For more than a decade, the FBI has been working on a secretive database that houses extensive personal information on U.S. citizens, reports RT.com.  Now, they claim their “Next Generation Identification,” or, “NGI” program, is more than 60% complete.  But the privacy watchdog group EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) has been suspicious of the program from the start, and after failed attempts of trying to obtain documents about the program through Freedom of Information Act requests, the group has decided to sue the agency for their failure to respond.

EPIC also claims that the program is an invasion of privacy, as it collects data on individuals who are neither criminals nor suspects, and says the program will be powerful enough to track down anyone, anywhere, at any time.

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Cameras in Downtown Huntington Beach

Downtown Huntington Beach, a popular tourist attraction, may soon have several surveillance cameras installed throughout the city.  As police numbers drop, crimes such as alcohol-related assaults and thefts continue to rise, and some feel that surveillance cameras would be a good step towards cutting down on these crimes.

Not all city officials are on-board with the idea, though.  City Councilman Matthew Harper had this to say:  “When the government is coming in and placing cameras all about a public area, that’s a Big Brother world that I’m not interested in being a part of.”

But Police Sergeant Jim Katapodi feels that the security cameras would be beneficial, claiming that in his experience, cameras deter crime and those who are not breaking the law have nothing to fear.

This situation is becoming more and more common across the country, and as more and more cameras pop up, it will be interesting to see how the courts decide on these rulings.  As of now, they seem to be letting public surveillance prevail.

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Little Canada Man Video Confiscated by Police

Twincities.com just reported about a case in Little Canada, Minnesota, where Andrew Henderson was recently charged with two misdemeanors: obstruction of legal process and disorderly conduct. His crime? Henderson was videotaping two Ramsey County sheriff deputies as they were assisting a bloody-faced man outside of his apartment complex.

Henderson, who regularly carries his camera around to take video, was standing thirty feet away from the officers, merely observing the situation. Jacqueline Muellner, an officer on the scene, promptly approached Henderson and confiscated his camera, to which he claimed, what I am doing is legal.

This is just one more in a slew of national cases concerning the video recording of on duty police officers – especially when they are arresting an individual.

Andrew Henderson, well-versed on the law and his rights, stood his ground even after his equipment was confiscated, calmly reminding Muellner that he simply wanted to record in a public space. Which is perfectly legal.

I’m eager to see what comes of this case, as it may have implications with similar cases down the line regarding video cameras and recording the police.

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Florida Drone Laws

The Orlando Sentinel reports that drones in Florida may be getting outlawed soon. The law, proposed by Senator Joe Negron, passed its second Senate committee earlier this month. If the legislation goes through, video surveillance drones in Florida will only be legal with a warrant, and under other extenuating circumstances like hostage situations and terrorist threats.

Law enforcement agencies, especially ones in Florida, are not pleased with these decisions. Video surveillance drones are an efficient technology: they are more affordable than helicopters, they are safer (no passengers) than helicopters, they do not disrupt public live as much, and can navigate much smaller spaces. It’s the last two qualities that has Senator Negron and Fourth Amendment privacy advocates against video surveillance drones.

Potentially, one of these surveillance drones could drop into your backyard, look in your window, and for many that seems to be a little too invasive. But this won’t be the last case involving video surveillance drones, or video and audio surveillance. As technology changes, so will the law.

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Court OKs Warrantless Use of Hidden Surveillance Cameras

Video surveillance technology is growing at a rapid pace, in both quality and quantity. In a recent case involving a farm in Wisconsin growing over 1,000 marijuana plants, the Drug Enforcement Administration installed high-definition surveillance cameras. The DEA arrested farm owners Manuel Mendoza and Marco Magana, who have been charged with federal drug crimes and face life imprisonment.

While the accused men claimed their fourth amendment right to privacy was violated by a warrantless DEA camera installation, US District Judge William Griesbach ruled that the cameras were placed in areas of the farm where one could not reasonably expect privacy.

In cases all around the nation, it seems the boundaries of fourth amendment privacy privileges are actively sacrificed by judicial preference to national and local security efforts. It is, in fact, hard to turn a blind eye to crimes that can be so vividly exposed by video surveillance footage. That said, the laws on these issues are different in every state, and almost always include grey area that leaves room for interpretation –  interpretation that generally comes after surveillance footage has been entered as evidence, and people like Mendoza and Magana are already on trial for their crimes.

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The Bald Eagle Feather Case

A US Appeals Court recently sided with police on a case involving a warrentless video recording inside of a suspect’s home, thinkprogress.com reported.

Mr. Wahchumwah, the convicted bald eagle feather and pelt seller, invited an undercover police agent into his home to view his bald eagle collection. The officer recorded audio and video as evidence inside Wahchumwah’s home. That evidence was used against Wahchumwah in court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued the statement regarding their decision:

We are persuaded that it is not “constitutionally relevant” whether an informant utilizes an audio-video device, rather than merely an audio recording device, to record activities occurring inside a home, into which the informer has been invited. When Wahchumwah invited Agent Romero into his home, he forfeited his expectation of privacy as to those areas that were “knowingly expose[d] to” Agent Romero. Wahchumwah cannot reasonably argue that the recording violates his legitimate privacy interests when it reveals no more than what was already visible to the agent.

None of this would be possible have without the seemingly limitless advances in audio and video surveillance technology. Discretely recording high-definition video on a portable device has only become possible in the last twenty years, and our courts have yet to establish meaningful restrictions to these newly invasive capabilities.

In some states, including California, the act of recording without “two party consent” is illegal to begin with.

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Camera’s in downtown Huntington Beach

Officials in Huntington Beach are currently debating on installing several high-definition surveillance cameras throughout the city.  The popular tourist attraction is a hotspot for alcohol-related crimes and thefts, and as police numbers drop, some feel that security cameras may help to cut down on crime.

But some feel that surveillance cameras would be an invasion of privacy.  City Councilman Matthew Harper said, “When the government is coming in and placing cameras all about a public area, that’s a Big Brother world that I’m not interested in being a part of.”

But Huntington Beach Police Sergeant Jim Katapodi feels that cameras absolutely deter crime, and in his experience, law-abiding citizens have nothing to worry about.

As surveillance cameras continue to pop up all across the country, more and more citizens are claiming invasion of privacy.  It will be interesting to see how the courts decide on these rulings but as of now, they seem to be letting public surveillance prevail.

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