Oakland, CA attempting to turn red light cameras into Big Brother variety
Posted on July 31st, 2007 by bile Categories and Tags: Uncategorized, California, crime, highway, nanny state, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, police state, politics, privacy, Redflex, road, Sacramento, state legislature, traffic law, Wayne G. Tucker, your rightsPrivacy 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 request came in conjunction with a plan to allow camera vendor Redflex to operate 20 video cameras at intersections 24-hours a day. The city council unanimously approved this ticketing contract with the Australian company on July 17 which is expected to generate several million in new revenue.
Ah yes… ’several million in new revenue.” I’m glad that those in power believe our privacy is for sale. This police state/Big Brother topic is brought up a lot on the blog of bile… but it’s only because this topic is unfortunately exponentially topical. We must fight this errosion of our privacy. It will not make you safer. It will not keep you free.
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