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In the wake of a federal judge criticizing the NYPD's videotaping procedures last week, I-Witness Video looks at what the NYPD actually uses to record public events and calls it "360 degrees of surveillance," best illustrated by what the police used during the 2004 Republican National Convention.
Officers used "lipstick cameras" which are easily concealed, as well as helicopters with "military-style infrared imaging." And Fuji lent the NYPD its BlimpCam, and I-Witness Video describes the blimpcam footage from August 27, 2004:
The first scene on the clip shows people from the antiwar group Not in Our Name lying on the grass in Central Park, spelling out a giant "NO" with their bodies. Every so often the camera operator focuses on some young women lounging nearby who do not seem to be part of the antiwar event. The hovering blimp cam seems almost to float above this tranquil scene. It might even be a pretty picture if it were not for the fact that we are viewing this all through what appears to be a military targeting scope superimposed on the frame...There are videos of each kind of surveillance, which we recommend you to check out - all the footage converges on the Critical Mass ride that resulted in hundreds of arrests. Photoblogger Mike Epstein from Satan's Laundromat was arrested and wrote about his experience.When the camera zooms out, what seems like half of the island of Manhattan comes quickly into focus. The blimp cam has a truly awesome depth of field and range...
The NYPD Fuji blimp continues downtown to Union Square Park where it floats above the assemblage of parkgoers and bicyclists gathering for the Critical Mass ride... A man stares directly up at the blimp, giving rise to the insight that staring directly at an aerial observation platform allows a perfect view of your face.
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Imagine what would happen if this space-age surveillance and hardline police resources were put to use against actual terrorists, rather than bike-riding college kids.
How can you possibly expect privacy when you're standing out in the open? Using infrared to look into a building is one thing. Crowd surveillance is another. Yet another chance to dare the liberals to actually make good and move to Europe. Smile! You're on CCTV!
Yeah, well how come they can use crazy telephoto lenses that can photograph a girl in a bikini in central park from a mile away, yet the rest of us can't take a picture with a tripod in the city without the fear of getting arrested?
The cops pissed and moaned about the encroachment on their privacy too when the nypd started to use photo-surveillance on contract protests a year or two back.
Or how about the time when the nytimes reported on a couple getting intimate on the roof of a high rise at night while police in a helicopter used infrared video equipment to record what they were doing?
It's a double standard with very little checks or balances. I've already accepted the fact that this city is a goddamn police state.
There are no laws protecting personal privacy in a public space. This means anyone may point a camera at anything in a public space, including at you, so why shouldn't the police be able to do so.
It's called freedom, and apparently it cuts both ways.
This doesn't mean I like the police wasting my tax dollars this way.
Well, at least these officers seem to be more interested in scoping out chicks than they do in making a serious effort at surveillance.
"military targeting scope" oh please, as though either the US Military or the NYPD would waste ammunition on these people.
Anyway - Thats DEFINATELY not a targeting scope overlay, as there is no targeting data present. No MGRS, no laser range finder, not even an altimeter.
This, my friends, is what we call sensational journalism. Give me a break!
If Osama had boobs, they would have found him by now with BlimpCam™
Let's turn the cameras on the cops. It's the only way we'll ever get behavior that lives up to the tag line on the doors of cop cars "Courtesy Professionalism Respect."
Hmm... Helicopter surveillance?
A few months ago, there was a police helicopter that was hovering very near to the very tall Towers apt. complext in Bay Ridge around 1am. What was strange was that this cop helicopter (the noise got our attention) hovered in the same exact spot for at least 35 minutes! Now those two Towers are by far the highest residential buildings in Bay Ridge. As a result, many of the tenants don't bother to close their blinds or the verticals on their balcony doors which would block any view of the inside.
It didn't make sense at the time, but now I'm wondering if the cop helicopter was guilty of perpetrating a bit of voyeurism. Guess this is just one of the perks of working for the NYPD.
The subway is a public area right? So I can happily snap away photos in there?
Face it, if you're not doing anything wrong to begin with, who cares. You're just a nameless face in the crowd of millions. I could care less as I have nothing to hide.
Yes, Rob, it is perfectly legal to take photos in the subway. Has been for years. Don't use flash, as it may distract the conductor, and don't use a tripod as you'll get in the way of people using the subway.
Nobody seems to give a damn about the Constitution anymore. American principles are important for a reason. Many people have died to give us our Constitutional rights. To take these rights for granted is truly shameful.
There isn't actually a specific right to privacy in the constitution. It has been protected by supreme court decisions, but that is through other amendments implying a right to privacy.
just sayin'.
I think the most troublesome thing in this story is the "scoping out the chicks" part.
I mean, if you're in a protest, you're asking to be seen, if you're minding your own business you don't really expect to be watched, but do people need to expect to be tracked from a distance on camera by people with badges just for being cute?
One of the main reasons the NYPD videotapes is to argue lawsuits. The camera isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than only having the recollections of somebody looking at a big payday on OUR taxes.