cell phones vs. crime

rightfulownership · Sep 10, 2008

Camera Phones Are Enlisted to Fight Crime

The telephone gave rise, eventually, to 911, and to the Crime Stoppers hot line. Advances in cellphones made it possible to send the police text messages.

On Tuesday, the New York New Yorkepartment opened a new front for tipsters by availing themselves of one of the more recent, if not exactly new, technological wonders. Citizens are now being encouraged to capture crimes in progress on their cellphones and send the videos to the police.
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the start of the program in the department’s Real Time Crime Center at Police Headquarters, where banks of computer monitors flash data and images from various New York City locations.

The police hope to build on the network of surveillance cameras, 911 calls, tip lines and text messages that are used to gather information and reports of crimes, tapping into the technology and habits that are already part of the daily behavior of millions of New Yorkers.

“It is another building block in our partnership with the public,” Mr. Kelly said.
The idea takes the 911 call one step further. When a witness calls 911, the dispatcher takes the details of the crime and assigns a special code to the report if the caller says there are photographs or video that might help solve it. A detective then calls the tipster with instructions on how to send the visual data into a department computer.

The image could be a unique tattoo on the forearm of a suspected criminal in a robbery, or a shot of a license plate of a car fleeing a hit-and-run accident, Mr. Bloomberg said.

“We are also working to enable the Real Time Crime Center to send photos out to all patrol cars in the area of a crime,” he said. “We hope to have that up and running next year.

“This technology should put a scare into every would-be criminal,” the mayor said, adding that the chance of “getting caught in the act is now better than ever.”
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good idea or ultimate fail?

i think $25 (or some kind of reward) for a picture leading to an arrest might make this exponentiallly more effective

Lt. Mewa · Sep 10, 2008

Its already been happening. They are just making it official and committing more resources.

Forbin · Mar 30, 2009

New York New Yorkepartment
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garamet · Sep 10, 2008

It's worked *against* the government in China.

Kids with camera phones send photos of police beating up on striking factory workers to their friends overseas who pass 'em to the news media.

Fewer beatings lately.

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cell phones vs. crime

rightfulownership Fresh Meat

Lt. Mewa Rockefeller Center

Forbin Do you feel fluffy, punk?

garamet "The whole world is watching."

Log in or Sign up

cell phones vs. crime

rightfulownership Fresh Meat

Lt. Mewa Rockefeller Center

Forbin Do you feel fluffy, punk?

garamet "The whole world is watching."

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