Houston: Surveillance Cameras Required In Building Permits?

Police Chief Harold Hurtt has proposed including surveillance camera installation into certain building permits. The list of proposed inclusions entails apartment complexes, downtown streets and even private residences. Opposition from the ACLU views the proposal as "radical and extreme" while the Mayor of Houston, Bill White, sees it as a "brainstorm" rather than a "decision".




My question being, "Is increased public and/or private surveillance truly the answer?"

Houston is one of the largest and fastest growing cities in these United States. Perhaps the answer to sufficient recruiting, patrols and surveillance lies more with appropriate budgetary and self-proliferation issues rather than blanket implementation "for the good of all", in these dire times.


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[edit on 19-2-2006 by Nerdling]

[edit on 2/19/2006 by 12m8keall2c]

[edit on 24-2-2006 by asala]

Why not in public bathrooms? We all know how much drugs get passed along in those places... Or changing rooms in stores, or why not have them on sidewalks pointing straight up in case women are trying to smuggle drugs underneath their skirts?

This guy sounds like a perv who wants to make his illegal activities legal.

"I wasn't spying on you with these binoculars I was making sure there wasn't anything criminal going on."

"Then where are your pants?"

Then he pulls out a baton and beats the woman to death, plants some drugs, puts some pants on, then calls HQ to report a druggy that attacked him.

I like the idea with one exception that would be putting them in private homes.

Go to Vegas, Atlantic city or any city that has gambling you see CCTV's all over the place. Every casino tracks you from the minute you enter until you leave and that includes all their hotel hallways. Hell you cannot go into any store these days that do not have tons of cameras that watch each and every move you make.

What better way to catch criminals then placing cameras all over to watch their every move?

Way to go Houston I am all for it as long as you keep them out of the private home

I'd have to get a better understanding of the building permit and private residence tie-ins before I passed any judgement, but on the face of it, I think the idea has merit. If I lived in one of those huge apartment complexes, I'd welcome the cameras for safety's sake. But the building permit part, I don't understand. If they are trying to lower theft and insurance fraud such as arson, then the developers should pay for the security.

Originally by: jsobecky
I'd have to get a better understanding of the building permit and private residence tie-ins before I passed any judgement

His distinctions for private residence surveillance installation are geared towards those residents/addresses requiring repeated/numerous patrol responses. In a city the size of Houston the potential for "installations" would be quite significant, based on 911 calls alone. Neither the source article, or supportive links, provide specifics regarding saturation rates for housing complexes or public streets. Perhaps the level of public acceptance will be dependent on such information.