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Sep 06

New Yorkers to be Enmeshed in Ring of Steel

<p>In a controversial move that is certain to be challenged by privacy-loving Americans, the police of New York City want to set up a " title="New Yorkers to be Enmeshed in Ring of Steel" />

In a controversial move that is certain to be challenged by privacy-loving Americans, the police of New York City want to set up a "ring of steel" defensive perimeter to help thwart terrorist attacks. Dubbed the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative, the program is based on a similar initiative already existing in London, and involves installing license plate-reading cameras in lower Manhattan by the end of the year.

The initial phase of the program will see 116 cameras and pivoting gates being installed at an estimated cost of $90 million, i.e. approximately £45 million. The pivoting gateways have been found to be useful in isolating suspicious vehicles. In combination with the cameras, this can be an effective way of thwarting terrorist attacks, especially of the car bomb variety. The program will be the first of its kind in the US.

Inspired by the success of the program in London city, UK, where CCTVs helped successfully track the July 7 bombers recently, the program has managed to impress even those police chiefs in the United States who had earlier expressed their doubts about its feasibility and propriety.

According to New York City police commissioner Raymond Kelly, the target area for the initial phase was Lower Manhattan as it includes vital areas like the Wall Street, and is critical to the lifeblood of the nation. He said launching the program in this region would help scale down its vulnerability in the event of future terrorist attacks.

Once implemented, the program envisions the placement of 3000 surveillance cameras below Canal Street by the end of next year. Some of these cameras would be owned by shop owners in the area, a tactic that many think would help finance the project to an extent. And this is critical, because many of the critics have been predicting the program would fall on its face because of the financing aspect. They feel the NYPD would not be able to find enough financing to make the project a success.

The NYPD are upbeat about the project, however. According to sources, the installation of the cameras is certain, what is still being considered is whether they would be using face-recognition technology.

Big Brother's picture
1984

I suggest to anyone willing to give up their privacy for a little security to read 1984... Is this what we are to come to? Security is freedom....

Benjamin Franklin:
They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security

TRUTH's picture
technology that is proven to fail

Responsibility for actions includes the innocent truth.
Politicians and Law Enforcement with the help of victims advocate groups has lied to the public.
The reason victim’s advocates continue their style of activity is they are cashing in.
Encouraging the infliction of pain and suffering rather than peace is a destructive activity use by theses activist who are willing to give up your Constitutional Rights so they can get rich with a technology that is proven to fail.
Requiring the breakup of families is extending entitlements which can only fail everyone.
Our nations entitled have no room left for those that can not afford to buy justice.
Religions need to justify self importance.
In god we trust has been bent to include the death penalty where our justice system is driven by how much money can be made destroying humanity rather than building our world and its people up, by selling short our devotion to each other as human beings, and over selling war which continues to divide mankind.
See how children as young as 3 years old have been placed on the registry.
How citizens are held indefinitely after their sentence has been served.
See it now on You Tube at
http://www.youtube.com/sosunite
Anyone with the need to punish anyone for having had to continue life after experiencing pain needs to rethink their belief system. This not about weather the world is flat or round, it is about basic human rights (Please write to the getsmart@usdoj.gov and make sure you put OAG Docket No 121 in the subject box or they will not take your comments.

Fredrico Pinata's picture
the balance

Should we be giving up privacy for security? Its hard to say. There is always a balance though. The more privacy we have, the more we isolate ourselves for criminals to take advantage of. The question we need to look at is, "Is the threat significant enough to warrant the reduction in privacy?" Since we are dealing with people, the answer is dependent on who you are talking to.
There is a second problem. How do we ensure that the data collected by these cameras is only used to keep us safe? Who controls that data and who watches the people who control the data? These days it is difficult to say who I trust less, public officials(including politicians) or criminals. I'm afraid it will be just as bad with or without the cameras. We just won't know what the officials are doing with the data till we get further down the road. That will determine if it was worth it.

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