POLICE CALL ON CITIZENS TO WATCH SPY CAMS; REPORT WRONGDOING

POLICE CALL ON CITIZENS TO WATCH SPY CAMS; REPORT WRONGDOING
Wed Mar 15 2006 08:47:21 ET

The East Orange, NJ Police Department is getting ready to greatly enlarge its ranks, with what's being called the "Virtual Community Patrol."

Soon-to-be-chosen residents will get access to a a Web site that provides panoramic views of their block, allows them to type in general complaints, pinpoint a problem location, immediately send that information to police headquarters, and simultaneously activate hidden police surveillance cameras, Police Director Jose Cordero said.

The "Virtual Community Patrol" will be the first such project of its kind in the nation, reports the STAR-LEDGER.

For example, an individual might see suspicious drug activity around a parked car, get on the Internet, type in a brief description of what's happening, use a cursor to pinpoint the trouble spot on one of six neighborhood still pictures that pop up, then transmit that information to the police command communications center, he said.

Developing...

Ah yes, nothing like being an informant for or on the payroll of the STASI...

--WP