A lawmaker in Los Angeles, the second-largest U.S. city, has proposed using image-producing devices like cell-phone cameras to improve public safety.Two motions to this effect were presented on Wednesday by Councilman Eric Garcetti, city officials said.
Garcetti's first proposal calls for purchasing equipment that would allow residents to snap photos of accident and crime scenes with cameras on cellular telephones, and then transmit the images to 911 call centers.
The software program, known as Incident Media Link, would be used by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
"Sending cell-phone pictures to 911 will empower communities to fight crime in a way not seen since the start of the Neighborhood Watch program," Garcetti said. "The LAPD has been using innovative technologies and strategies to reduce crime for decades. Camera phones can help build the next stage of community-police partnership."
Garcetti also introduced a plan urging the installation of security cameras in the city's parks as part of an effort to heighten security. Cameras are already in place in two public parks in downtown Hollywood.
"Cameras give the police eyes and ears on a 24-hour basis to protect our open spaces," Garcetti said.
1 comment:
Oh, that's just a FANTABULOUS idea there, Eric...now the citizens of L.A. can send us pictures of loud parties, unidentified vehicles parked legally in front of their residences, the hookers on the corners, illegal vendors on the center medians, and on, and on, and on... How about the new breed of "vigilante citizen" that this will encourage...the ones that will chase after suspects to get a picture, license plate number, etc, and wind up getting themselves hurt as a result, either from a traffic collision, or being assaulted by the suspect. All the way around, this is really not a good idea...
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