police

Illinois? Eavesdropping Law Under Attack

Posted by dtaitano 10:39 pm Categories: Legal, Legislation, Surveillance. Tags: , , .

Continuous Video Recording in Progress Continuous Video Recording in Progress I’ve been following the Chris Drew travesty fairly closely. Why should police be treated differently than other citizens? If Illinois law was on the books in California, for instance, would Scott Olsen be a household name? Or other Occupy incidents, like the various pepper spraying videos? If police are doing their job, they shouldn’t be worried about a spectator videoing their actions, and if they are doing something questionable, citizens should be able to collect evidence of police wrongdoing. Anyway, there are rumblings that the law could be thrown out as vague, or unconstitutional. When a Cook County jury in August acquitted a woman of violating Illinois’ strict eavesdropping law, an unassuming man with wire-rimmed glasses and wispy white hair sat in the gallery, quietly taking notes. Chris Drew had good reason to keep an eye on the case — he’s facing trial on the same felony charge of eavesdropping on a public official, which carries up to 15 years in prison. An artist whose ’60s upbringing instilled a deep respect for questioning authority, Drew, 61, is accused of making an illegal audio recording of Chicago police during a 2009 arrest for selling art on a downtown street without a permit. Drew intended the incident to be a test of the city’s permit laws. But now his case has wound up at the forefront of a much bigger effort to challenge the constitutionality of Illinois’ eavesdropping law, which makes […]

Fayetteville NC Police Urge Businesses To Use Video Surveillance

Posted by dtaitano 9:33 pm Categories: City Surveillance. Tags: , , .

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – As a way to catch criminals and deter crime, the Fayetteville Police Department is working to improve surveillance cameras at businesses. Kari Ellis, the department’s specialist in video, is spreading the word about an initiative called "Video Done Right." On Thursday she presented information about the initiative to a group of business owners and managers who were interested in installing or improving surveillance systems. Ellis started the program to give businesses the "dos and don’ts" of setting up surveillance systems. It covers what cameras to use, where to place them and the settings that capture the best pictures. Ellis, or other crime prevention specialists with the same training, will even examine the current setup at a business and provide feedback. Ellis said she was inspired to start the program because she often needed to examine video at a place where a crime had occurred, but many times the video was poor quality because for any number of reasons. She said poor video isn’t very helpful, but good video makes a big difference for police. "When you put that evidence in front of a jury, what can they say? That’s you. A lot of times their mother will identify them. Their friends will rat them out. So yeah, video is really integral in solving crime," Ellis said. Ellis said the Shaniya Davis kidnapping and murder case is a prime example of how good surveillance is helpful. She wishes every business would have a system as good as […]

Jersey City Police “Eye In The Sky” Monitoring Journal Square Travelers

Posted by dtaitano 3:12 pm Categories: City Surveillance. Tags: , , .

Holiday shoppers and travelers passing through Journal Square will be under the watchful gaze of a Jersey City Police Department ?eye in the sky? which is an elevated booth that can accommodate police officers and is fitted with closed circuit video cameras, officials said today. The ?eye in the sky? is located on Journal Square Plaza near the fountain at Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenue. It stands about 25-feet-tall, has flood lights, cameras pointed in several directions, the capacity to transmit video live for officers to monitor at a remote location and it records all video captured by its cameras. ?It is there for the high volume of people during the holiday season,? Jersey City Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said this afternoon. ?The police department is constantly redeploying its assets throughout the city.? A 36-year-old Jersey City man making his commute home at 5:20 p.m. tonight said he imagines the tower is a useful deterrent to thieves and other criminals but noted, ?I didn’t even notice it was there? after having walking past the imposing structure. A cab driver waiting to pick up passengers nearby said he didn’t feel the location of the surveillance tower was well chosen. He pointed at three security cameras nearby on the side of Duane Reade and Santander Bank which are apparently monitored by the Port Authority, saying ?I don?t know why they put it there, there are cameras everywhere here.? The cabbie added, ?If someone wants to do something, then they are […]

Lincoln Police: Downtown Security Cameras To Be Turned On

Posted by dtaitano 10:56 pm Categories: City Surveillance. Tags: , , , .

Home / Headlines List / Article Lincoln, Neb.– Lincoln Police say they’re turning on security cameras in downtown in an effort to curb crime in the area. The cameras were installed at 14th & O Streets in November 2012, but haven’t been turned on until now. According to Lincoln Police Chief Jim Peschong, in one year the city sees over 4,000 reported assaults, 146 of those happened at that intersection. That’s more than any other part of the city and now the intersection is at its highest level of crime, according to Peschong. He hopes the cameras will help catch people causing trouble, but some wonder if they will keep the mischief away or just customers in general. Some downtown business owners told city leaders in July that they’re worried that new security cameras may scare customers away. “It is another tool to portray 14th & O Street inaccurate,” said Scott Hatfield, who has owned Duffy’s Tavern for six years. Officials say in addition to helping the police department identify those involved in a crime, police say the footage can serve as evidence in court. Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station. powered by Disqus

Steve Duin: Portland Police Re-Dedicate Themselves To Video Surveillance

Posted by dtaitano 9:23 pm Categories: Law Enforcement. Tags: , , , , .

They were walking, Bill Merritt and Peggy McClure, in the damp shadow of the communication tower atop Council Crest when they bumped into a crew laboring over a manhole and the underground fiber-optic cable that rolls down the hillside. What’s going on? they asked.  “A dedicated line,” one of the ditch-diggers said, “running from the tower down to the Portland police station.” “Great,” McClure said.  “So, that means we’ll have quicker response time on 9-1-1 calls?” Not at all, she was told. This line was dedicated to something else altogether.  “Police surveillance.  It will pick up signals from police-operated aircraft.  Which are sorta like manned drones.” Merritt and McClure have been together for 20 years and married for the last seven, most of which they spent abroad while McClure was managing Peace Corps operations in Botswana and Morocco. For all they knew, this broadband operation had already been vetted in council sessions, neighborhood meetings and newspaper columns.  “We’ve been out of the loop,” Merritt conceded. “But what are we surveilling?” Whatever strikes the fancy of Portland police, it turns out.  And once those fiber-optic connections are completed at the Portland Building, the bureau will be able to stream the video to anyone who wants it. “We do not have drones.  We are not getting drones.  Period,” Sgt. Pete Simpson insisted Thursday.  The bureau’s Cessnas, on the other hand, have been around for years:  “We use them for tactical situations.  Block searches.  Missing persons.  If we’re doing a gang cool-down […]

Lowell, MA Police Deploy New Surveillance Vehicle

Posted by dtaitano 7:14 pm Categories: City Surveillance, Law Enforcement. Tags: , , .

Press Release – For Immediate Release Contact: Public Information Officer: Captain Kelly Richardson [email protected] Office: (978) 674-1709 New Tool in Crime Detection and Deterrence LOWELL, MA (November 13, 2013) Lowell Police will be rolling out a new tool to help combat crime and disorder in our city. A Lowell Police van that has been refurbished is now equipped with video surveillance capabilities. The cameras will be obvious to an observer and the van will be clearly marked as belonging to the Lowell Police along with its surveillance capabilities. These cameras will allow for the recording of incidents in close proximity of the van even in low light conditions. Records of those legally obtained recording will be maintained and if needed will be used for the identification and prosecution of individuals involved in illegal activity. This van will be clearly marked as such in hopes that it will also have a deterrent effect on any crime or disorder in or around its stationed location in the city. The first roll out of this new tool will be in an undisclosed location in the city this weekend

Digital Ally Receives Order From Evansville, Indiana Police Department For 150 FirstVU HD Body Cameras

Posted by dtaitano 8:48 pm Categories: Customer Implementations, Law Enforcement, Surveillance. Tags: , , , .

(businesspress24) – LENEXA, KS — (Marketwired) — 11/12/13 — Digital Ally, Inc. (NASDAQ: DGLY), which develops, manufactures and markets advanced video surveillance products for law enforcement, homeland security and commercial applications, today announced the receipt of its largest single order for the body camera, which was introduced to the market in the third quarter of 2013. The order, from the Evansville, Indiana police department, will be shipped in the current quarter. The Evansville police department evaluated all of the major body cameras on the market during a 60-day testing period before selecting Digital Ally’s FirstVU HD for its officers. Testing included evaluation of product durability, versatility, ease of use, battery life, video and sound quality, upload and download speeds, and the data storage requirements for a typical officer’s daily shift. “We have sold over 350 FirstVU HD units, including the Evansville order, since the new body camera was officially launched in July 2013, and the FirstVU HD is being tested and evaluated against competitive products by over 150 law enforcement agencies,” stated Stanton E. Ross, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Ally, Inc. “These test and evaluation programs are typically one to three months in duration, and based on an analysis of completed test and evaluation programs, our FirstVU HD has emerged as the top-rated system by a clear majority of the agencies performing the evaluations. We have averaged approximately 20 new police agencies initiating test and evaluation programs per week, with active and completed test and evaluation projects representing […]

CaughtOnCamera: Skokie Cop Charged With Shoving Woman

Posted by dtaitano 10:43 pm Categories: CaughtOnCamera. Tags: , .

BY JORDAN OWEN Staff Reporter October 30, 2013 11:52AM Updated: October 30, 2013 10:50PM A north suburban police officer was charged with two felonies for allegedly shoving a woman accused of DUI in the police station lock-up earlier this year, causing serious injuries to her face. Skokie Police officer Michael Hart, 43, was charged Wednesday with aggravated battery and official misconduct, both felonies, according to a statement from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. Hart was assisting with fingerprinting and photographing 47-year-old Cassandra Feuerstein on the morning of March 10, after she was arrested earlier that morning for DUI, authorities said. During the booking process, Hart “became irate” with Feuerstein when she repeatedly refused to look at a specific location on a camera lens for him to take a booking photo, prosecutors allege. Hart grabbed her “forcibly” by the arm and pulled her towards an open cell, where she tried to use both hands to grab the sides of the doorway, regain her balance and ask for another photo, prosecutors said. Hart then put both of his hands on her back and pushed her “forcefully” into the cell, prosecutors allege. She was propelled across the cell, and her head slammed face-first into an unpadded concrete bench. Feuerstein suffered a fractured right orbital bone, loosened teeth, and a deep cut on her cheek. She required reconstructive surgery after the incident, including placement of a titanium plate in her cheek. Prosecutors say she still suffers vision and dental problems. All of […]

UK CCTV Commissioner Hosts Conference On Regulation

Posted by dtaitano 10:10 pm Categories: Customer Implementations. Tags: , , , , , , , .

By Tom Reeve on October 31, 2013 Andrew Rennison, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, addresses the audience at his first conference on the code of practice Around 120 delegates attended the Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s conference in London last week to hear about and discuss the latest developments around the commissioner’s new code of practice. The event was held at the Royal Society in central London and was opened by the commissioner Andrew Rennison who, after introducing the day’s speakers, called for delegates to help promote the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice to the CCTV industry. Borrowing a word from Lord Taylor of Holbeach, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Criminal Information at the Home Office, Rennison asked people to go forth and “evangelise” the code. He said it was an approach that had worked during his six years as the Forensic Science Regulator, and it was on the back of this success that the Home Office had asked him to become the interim CCTV regulator (later to become the surveillance camera commissioner). Evangelising the code is necessary because, of course, the code is not mandatory and, as it only applies to systems owned by local authorities and the police, covers less than five per cent of CCTV systems in England and Wales. Andrew Rennison, Surveillance Camera Commissioner And while relevant authorities have been told they must have regard to the 12 guiding principles of the code, there are no penalties for failing to observe it. Compliance is entirely voluntary […]