Cameras don't stop crimes

[Ian David]

Cameras don't stop crimes
Submitted by adamg on Tue, 01/30/2007 - 9:50am.

Mats Tolander doesn't mind the MBTA's army of surveillance cameras, but says that while they may help catch criminals after the fact, they won't stop crime:
http://internet128.com/index.php/archives/2007/01/29/thats-right-keep-surveillance-cameras-underground/


... I say: Put more cops on the T and more criminals in our prisons. ...

More:
http://www.universalhub.com/node/7438

I'm inclined not to believe this.

Consider:

1) Given: Cameras do not stop a crime in progress from happening.
2) Given: Cameras do help catch criminals after the crime has happened.
3) Given: A criminal captured can no longer commit a crime upon society (except maybe mail fraud)
4) Given: Catching criminals reduces future crime.
QED: Cameras reduce future crimes, but not a crime in progress.

[Warpy]

1. What makes you think crimnals think in terms of being caught?

They're thinking of scoring, they're thinking of knowing where their next meal is coming from, they're thinking about the thrill of doing something illegal, but they're not thinking of cameras, the police, jail, or even the DP.

There is no deterrent. They will commit crimes in a crowd if there's a cop in the area. The best we can hope for is getting the violent ones off the street.

[Ian David]

2. Exactly my point.

Cameras don't stop criminals until AFTER the criminal is caught.

edited to add: For example, standing underneath a security camera doesn't make you safe.

[Ezlivin]

3. But good education, nutrition and a stable home life do

Yet it's a whole lot easier to dump money into another technological fix rather than address the root problem.

The Drug War has taught our law enforcement officials well; they are positioning themselves for ever-escalating funding, despite the lack of positive results.

In 1988 Congress issued this proclamation: "It is the declared policy of the United States to create a Drug-Free America by 1995." Naturally they requested yet more taxpayer money.

1995 is 12 years behind us. Where is the “Drug-Free” America for which we've spent hundreds of billions of dollars?

[twilight_sailing]

4. the Surveillance Camera Players

http://www.notbored.org/the-scp.html

[Eugene]

5. Cameras don't see everything.

Camera arrangements have blind spots. Some of the smarter crooks know how to take advantage of them.
A double kidnap-murder in Britain carried out right between the cameras is a case in point.