‘Covert’ surveillance cameras coming to Chicago

[웃 910]

'Covert' surveillance cameras coming to Chicago

February 16, 2010

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter fspielman@suntimes.com

Blue-light surveillance cameras in Chicago's high-crime neighborhoods will someday be augmented by "covert" cameras that "fit inside of a match box" and keep the bad guys guessing, Police Supt. Jody Weis said.

Now that crime-ravaged communities have been saturated with hundreds of blue-light cameras, Weis says it's time to take Big Brother technology to "the next level."

That means surveillance cameras similar to the hidden cameras used to snare corrupt politicians.

"They are incredibly small. I've seen some that would fit inside of a match box. . . . These can be secreted in locations that nobody would ever detect. It's amazing where we're going with technology," Weis said during a taping of the WLS-AM Radio Program, "Connected to Chicago."

Blue-light cameras virtually announce their presence, giving drug dealers and gang-bangers a heads-up to move out of range. Covert cameras keep them guessing, the superintendent said.

"You use the covert [cameras] to perhaps push them into an area where you have coverage. If we can interrupt their intelligence cycle, we will have the upper hand," he said.

Last week, Mayor Daley ordered a review of the Chicago Police Department to make certain "every dollar possible" of its $1.2 billion a year budget is spent fighting crime.

How can the department afford the next generation of surveillance cameras at a time when it's operating more than 2,000 officers short of authorized strength?

In part, by swapping some of the blue-light cameras for the covert kind, Weis said.

"Some of these covert cameras -- because they're not across the network -- are not that expensive. You don't need that many because they're not in place forever. Maybe you need a total of 50," Weis said.

"We put some here. We move it around. We run the operation. We arrest a lot of bad guys. Then we see where there's another uptick, and we move 'em somewhere else. It's kind of like mobile pods, but they're covert. The bad guys will never know they're being watched," he said.

Ed Yohnka, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, questioned how much video surveillance will be enough for the department.

"They seem committed to running light years ahead of other cities" even though there is no evidence that surveillance cameras trigger a reduction in crime, Yohnka said. He added that the advanced surveillance technology is an invitation for abuse by rogue officers.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Lord Infamous

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Oh yay, more spy cameras...

[scandal 951]

Cool!

[rsn 135]

If Daley is smart, he will stay far away from those cameras. I'm sure a normal day for him contains enough felonies to merit a life sentence.

Last week, Mayor Daley ordered a review of the Chicago Police Department to make certain "every dollar possible" of its $1.2 billion a year budget is spent fighting crime.

I almost died laughing when I read this. A more ironic statement I cannot imagine.

Edited February 17, 2010 by rsn

[scandal 951]

If Daley is smart, he will stay far away from those cameras. I'm sure a normal day for him contains enough felonies to merit a life sentence.

What about former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese ...

(She just got back to town after ~ 8 years in federal prison and a halfway house in Nevada. Something about bilking the town of Cicero for millions and sending the loot up to Wisconsin... I've never trusted those Wisconsin types, personally :whistle: )

[rsn 135]

What about former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese ...

(She just got back to town after ~ 8 years in federal prison and a halfway house in Nevada. Something about bilking the town of Cicero for millions and sending the loot up to Wisconsin... I've never trusted those Wisconsin types, personally :whistle: )

Betty Loren-Maltese was certainly not the first corrupt individual to come out of Cicero, nor the most famous as you may know. Cicero is a dump through and through. If you've ever driven through it, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's infested with crime & is still influenced by the mafia, as are Stone Park and Rosemont, to name a couple others. Chicago-area corruption is legendary and not even in the same league as Wisconsin. Being from Chicago, I remember how crooked that area really is. Perhaps it's something that Chicagoans just get used to, and perhaps I was guilty of that too at one point. The politicians are not the only ones - The CPD has some real criminals walking the beat as well, and even the nice rich suburbs have been infected. Ugh it makes me sick just remembering some of the stuff I saw when I lived there.

Edited February 17, 2010 by rsn

[scandal 951]

Betty Loren-Maltese was certainly not the first corrupt individual to come out of Cicero, nor the most famous as you may know. Cicero is a dump through and through. If you've ever driven through it, you'll know what I'm talking about. Its infested with crime & is still influenced by the mafia, as are Stone Park and Rosemont, to name a couple others. Chicago-area corruption is legendary and not even in the same league as Wisconsin. Being from Chicago, I remember how crooked that area really is. Perhaps it's something that Chicagoans just get used to, and perhaps I was guilty of that too at one point. The politicians are not the only ones - The CPD has some real criminals walking the beat as well, and even the nice rich suburbs have been infected. Ugh it makes me sick just remembering some of the stuff I saw when I lived there.

Careful. Keep that up and you'll soon be singing the praises of Australia.

But he was such a gooooood boy, sweet Alphonse! A true credit to Cicero and Stone Park and the whole Chicagoland area!

[rsn 135]

Careful. Keep that up and you'll soon be singing the praises of Australia.

Not likely. We already have at least two people doing that on VJ. Three's a crowd.

Edited February 17, 2010 by rsn

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Not likely. We already have at least two people doing that on VJ. Three's a crowd.

Head on over to the threesome thread.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Head on over to the threesome thread.

[Ban Hammer 13,403]

scandal better be careful, or they'll have a video of dirty deeds done with sheep.

[Ali G. 37]

Ed Yohnka, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, questioned how much video surveillance will be enough for the department.

"They seem committed to running light years ahead of other cities" even though there is no evidence that surveillance cameras trigger a reduction in crime, Yohnka said. He added that the advanced surveillance technology is an invitation for abuse by rogue officers.

When did this group become commander and chief of society in America? How about the abuse of courts and United States Legal system to push your ideology and agenda on others?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Chicago bans the private ownership of handguns by law abiding people (criminals can have them) and Illinois is one of TWO states that does not allow for concealed carry of handguns, and now someone would be surprised big-brother is going to watch everyone? Let the good people (who far outnumber the bad people) carry concealed handguns and the bad people will go away, or at ;least behave themselves. It has worked everywhere it is tried, why not chicago? Cheaper than cameras also.

[Ali G. 37]

Let the good people (who far outnumber the bad people) carry concealed handguns and the bad people will go away, or at ;least behave themselves. It has worked everywhere it is tried, why not chicago? Cheaper than cameras also.

You are joking right? If not, then why is it that the US has the highest homicide rate (per capita) when compared to every other first world nation?

[TBoneTX 45,524]

And there, in Chicago, just went the remaining life-supported, tattered shards of the Fourth Amendment.