Police surveillance at schools: Doubling down on stupid

"Selective ignorance, a cornerstone of child rearing. You don't put kids under surveillance: it might frighten you. Parents should sit tall in the saddle and look upon their troops with a noble and benevolent and extremely nearsighted gaze."

- Garrison Keillor

In Austin, "Currently, police are working on getting access to the Austin Independent School District's campus cameras. That way school video would feed directly to the Crime Center," reported KEYE-TV. Further, "The chief also wants to access traffic cameras to see crashes, as well as join existing public cameras around town, like those outside businesses."

The chief claims cameras are a "force multiplier," but for reasons this blog has discussed before at length, in practice the opposite is true. While Grits is sympathetic with concerns expressed in the KEYE story by privacy advocates, the more compelling reason to oppose mass camera surveillance is that the tactic fails to reduce crime and in fact wastes officers' time that would be better spent on traditional investigations.

Especially in the U.K., where cameras are ubiquitous, there's been a great deal of research documenting where cameras actually reduce crime, and schools aren't on the list. The public shouldn't oppose camera surveillance (only) because of privacy concerns, but mainly because it's an ineffective tactic that empirically doesn't work.

Via Pogo Was Right.

Currently, police are working on getting access to the Austin Independent School District's campus cameras. That way school video would feed directly to the Crime Center.

Read More at: http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/apd-plans-expand-police-cameras-16411.shtml

Currently, police are working on getting access to the Austin Independent School District's campus cameras. That way school video would feed directly to the Crime Center.

Read More at: http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/apd-plans-expand-police-cameras-16411.shtml

Selective ignorance, a cornerstone of child rearing. You don't put kids under surveillance: it might frighten you. Parents should sit tall in the saddle and look upon their troops with a noble and benevolent and extremely nearsighted gaze
Read more at http://quotes.dictionary.com/Selective_ignorance_a_cornerstone_of_child_rearing_You#qLlZakEymvaiG5ji.99

Selective ignorance, a cornerstone of child rearing. You don't put kids under surveillance: it might frighten you. Parents should sit tall in the saddle and look upon their troops with a noble and benevolent and extremely nearsighted gaze.

Read more at http://quotes.dictionary.com/Selective_ignorance_a_cornerstone_of_child_rearing_You#qLlZakEymvaiG5ji.99

Selective ignorance, a cornerstone of child rearing. You don't put kids under surveillance: it might frighten you. Parents should sit tall in the saddle and look upon their troops with a noble and benevolent and extremely nearsighted gaze.

Read more at http://quotes.dictionary.com/Selective_ignorance_a_cornerstone_of_child_rearing_You#qLlZakEymvaiG5ji.99

Selective ignorance, a cornerstone of child rearing. You don't put kids under surveillance: it might frighten you. Parents should sit tall in the saddle and look upon their troops with a noble and benevolent and extremely nearsighted gaze.

Read more at http://quotes.dictionary.com/Selective_ignorance_a_cornerstone_of_child_rearing_You#qLlZakEymvaiG5ji.99

Selective ignorance, a cornerstone of child rearing. You don't put kids under surveillance: it might frighten you. Parents should sit tall in the saddle and look upon their troops with a noble and benevolent and extremely nearsighted gaze.

Read more at http://quotes.dictionary.com/Selective_ignorance_a_cornerstone_of_child_rearing_You#qLlZakEymvaiG5ji.99