Evidence

New Jersey Town Will Shine Red Light on Suspects Identified by Surveillance Cameras

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The city of East Orange, N.J., has a plan to stop crime as it happens: It will shine red spotlights on people caught on surveillance cameras who appear to be committing crimes.

Officers at police headquarters monitoring the video feeds will control the lights, mounted next to the city’s surveillance cameras, report the New Jersey Star-Ledger and the Associated Press in a video story.

Acting police chief William Robinson said at a news conference last week that London, which uses talking cameras, is the only city with comparable technology. The London cameras scold offenders engaged in littering and other anti-social behavior, the BBC reported in 2007.

Robinson said the cameras send a message to criminals that the police are watching.

“How many times [do] camera operators wish they could jump through the video screen and intervene in developing criminal situations while they wait for patrol to arrive?” Robinson asked. “Well, let me tell you, that’s about to change in the city.”

Hat tip to Infowars.com.

Related coverage:

ABAJournal.com: “Big Brother’s View Expands in UK”

Updated at 3:54 p.m. to link to earlier ABAJournal.com post.

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