Wii video games are gaining popularity all over the world, they're so easy to play they're almost ideal even for non-gammers. Well that was never proven more true than during a Florida drug task force raid in September.
Polk County Sheriff's Drug Task Force raided a home near Lakeland, FL. Instead of acting like professional police officers, they were distracted by a video game, Wii Bowling, to be exact. Unfortunately for the officers, the whole day was caught on a security camera connected to the homeowners computer. (Video.)
Various members of the task force are seen on video playing a game of Wii Bowling for more than an hour. While the whole raid lasted roughly nine hours and cost the tax payers of Polk Country nearly $4,000. In all, 11 members of the team were found to be at fault in an internal investigation. They all received 2 hours of retraining and their supervising sergeants are to complete 4 hours of retraining.
"We are learning from our mistakes," said sheriff's Chief of Staff Gary Hester. "I'm absolutely convinced these folks will never do that again. I think we handled (the investigation) appropriately."
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Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Cameras Coming to Coral Springs, FL
"I want this at every intersection so if we're looking for somebody, we are able to follow their progress and stay on top of them. What I envision: there is a robbery, we pull up the camera in that area, you can follow [the car] in a system of cameras, and say 'he passed through this intersection and took a right.' And on DVD is that suspect at the bank driving away which is a beautiful piece of evidence to go to court with," said City Commissioner Tom Powers.
Atlantic and University was chosen because it is the city's busiest intersection. Unlike nearby Pembroke Pines, the cameras will not be used to catch traffic violators.
Forfeiture money will be used to purchase the cameras, not tax dollars. What is forfeiture money? It's money collected by cities after arrests from suspects who are later convicted and it comes mostly from drug-related crimes. Powers said of the funding, "The beauty of this is the money will come from forfeiture money, so criminals are paying for technology to catch other criminals." On average, Coral Springs gets between $250,000 and $400,000 in forfeiture funds each year.
A number of other nearby cities are also looking to prevent crimes with cameras, but with more specific goals in mine. In Lighthouse Point, Florida, poles have been installed at the town's 26 entrances and exits. Eventually, each pole will have a camera. While Coral Springs is planning to use their surveillance system to prevent crime, Lighthouse Point Police Chief Ross Licata says their cameras will be used to monitor license plates, in order to find stolen cars and wanted felons. "We're not using it to track the general public to see them coming and going, we're not using this to write tickets," he told the Sun Sentinel.
Though they may have different goals and budgets with what they plan to do with their camera systems, all of the cities do have one thing in common, the hope that the cameras will deter crime. "If there's a chance of getting caught, [criminals] will think twice about it. Rudy Giuliani put more police officers on the street, and crime went down. It doesn't mean more people got caught they were afraid of being caught," Powers said of the camera system's desired outcome.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wireless Cameras for Your Island
This afternoon I took a very unusual call. The request was for wireless cameras, which is nothing that uncommon, but the caller wanted to install the cameras all across a little island in the Florida Keys. Unfortunantely the caller was not with the local government but was instead calling from a Home Owners Association (HOA).
I say unfortunately because the caller had apparently been watching to much CSI and spent to much time in the U.K. Which is where he told me he kept his primary residence. To confess after a five minute update on life in the CCTV obsessed British Isle, which was proceeded by a five minute gripe about our phone system, I was ready to say "thanks for your call and have a nice day".
But somewhat like a dear in the headlights I just kept listening. With the history lesson and grandiose dreams aside the caller impressed me in so many ways as a classic uneducated consumer who wanted some one to come out and tell him how it "all works".
Not having the time to explain it "all" I just took the callers name and number and offered to get him in touch with our local affiliates.
However had I had the time I would have pointed out a few problems with a HOA installing cameras all across a six mile long island.
First lets start with the budget. Quality outdoor wireless CCTV hardware capable of spanning one to four miles has it's place. And in the right context it can be a very affordable solution. But spending tens and tens and tens of thousands of dollars to watch cars cross the bridge as they dive onto and off of your island is not something most HOA's are going to have in the budget.
Secondly a HOA with such a grad project has a problem with infrastructure. That problem is quite simply they don't own the infrastructure. They don't own the light pole with the best view of the bridge, they don't own the land that is immediately borders the road, they don't own the land over which power lines would have to be run to get to the land that somebody they know owns with the cruddy view of the bridge, etc., etc., etc.
What HOA's do however own are homes. But is there really anyone on a HOA Baord that would trust thousands of dollars worth of CCTV hardware being placed in the home of a HOA member? Or is there an HOA member that would really want to have the responsibility of that expensive hardware? Or is there a home owner who really wants who knows what number or size of antennas or wireless receiving equipment mounted to their house our installed on their property? Or for that matter does anyone who owns a well kept property in the Florida Keys want to have an industrial grade camera, and transmitter mounted to the side of their house? Is there anyone who lives in what looks like their own little paradise who want to turn that look into something more akin to a maximum security detention fatality?
This goes back to something the caller said about his time in the U.K. and how big brother was always watching. Well perhaps this was lost on the caller but in effect he and his HOA are tying to be, on their own little island at least, their own version of "big brother". And that is where in my opinion CCTV security camera systems fail.
Instead of trying to put cameras all over the island in some grand scheme that will never get funded or implemented the HOA should use it's power to recommend a standard CCTV technology that all HOA members could purchase on their own to make the right security choices for their own needs. If the individual HOA members saw fit they could share internet access to selected security cameras with other HOA members and create a web of watchful neighbors.
But to centralize such a project through an ever changing membership in an HOA would only lead to problems and ineffective use of funds.
As evidence to this the story ends with me taking the time to get the contact information for 4 local CCTV installers in the area and calling the customer back to pass on the information. My calls have gone unanswered and and my messages unreturned. That's no surprise and no problem from where I sit.
I say unfortunately because the caller had apparently been watching to much CSI and spent to much time in the U.K. Which is where he told me he kept his primary residence. To confess after a five minute update on life in the CCTV obsessed British Isle, which was proceeded by a five minute gripe about our phone system, I was ready to say "thanks for your call and have a nice day".
But somewhat like a dear in the headlights I just kept listening. With the history lesson and grandiose dreams aside the caller impressed me in so many ways as a classic uneducated consumer who wanted some one to come out and tell him how it "all works".
Not having the time to explain it "all" I just took the callers name and number and offered to get him in touch with our local affiliates.
However had I had the time I would have pointed out a few problems with a HOA installing cameras all across a six mile long island.
First lets start with the budget. Quality outdoor wireless CCTV hardware capable of spanning one to four miles has it's place. And in the right context it can be a very affordable solution. But spending tens and tens and tens of thousands of dollars to watch cars cross the bridge as they dive onto and off of your island is not something most HOA's are going to have in the budget.
Secondly a HOA with such a grad project has a problem with infrastructure. That problem is quite simply they don't own the infrastructure. They don't own the light pole with the best view of the bridge, they don't own the land that is immediately borders the road, they don't own the land over which power lines would have to be run to get to the land that somebody they know owns with the cruddy view of the bridge, etc., etc., etc.
What HOA's do however own are homes. But is there really anyone on a HOA Baord that would trust thousands of dollars worth of CCTV hardware being placed in the home of a HOA member? Or is there an HOA member that would really want to have the responsibility of that expensive hardware? Or is there a home owner who really wants who knows what number or size of antennas or wireless receiving equipment mounted to their house our installed on their property? Or for that matter does anyone who owns a well kept property in the Florida Keys want to have an industrial grade camera, and transmitter mounted to the side of their house? Is there anyone who lives in what looks like their own little paradise who want to turn that look into something more akin to a maximum security detention fatality?
This goes back to something the caller said about his time in the U.K. and how big brother was always watching. Well perhaps this was lost on the caller but in effect he and his HOA are tying to be, on their own little island at least, their own version of "big brother". And that is where in my opinion CCTV security camera systems fail.
Instead of trying to put cameras all over the island in some grand scheme that will never get funded or implemented the HOA should use it's power to recommend a standard CCTV technology that all HOA members could purchase on their own to make the right security choices for their own needs. If the individual HOA members saw fit they could share internet access to selected security cameras with other HOA members and create a web of watchful neighbors.
But to centralize such a project through an ever changing membership in an HOA would only lead to problems and ineffective use of funds.
As evidence to this the story ends with me taking the time to get the contact information for 4 local CCTV installers in the area and calling the customer back to pass on the information. My calls have gone unanswered and and my messages unreturned. That's no surprise and no problem from where I sit.
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