City which boasts low crime rates takes Homeland Security money for cameras.

[Baitball Blogger]

There is a story behind the story, which I think time will sort out. This is a city, that in the nineties, used the power of the government to tame the leadership. Community leaders and elected officials are so committed to protecting a past collusion that I am skeptical of their ability to apply the law evenly and fairly today. Re-posting this in the Florida section because it will be easier to dig up two years down the road.



Winter Springs, other small cities set up surveillance cameras


Winter Springs — a Seminole County city of about 35,000 residents — has accepted an $84,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which it will use to put surveillance cameras in place. In recent years, Homeland Security has doled out tens of millions of dollars to help cities set up such systems.

snip

Initially, a set of about a dozen cameras will be set up at the city's water-treatment plant on Northern Way, Winter Springs Police Chief Kevin Brunelle said. A recorder and other infrastructure needed to launch the wireless-camera network will also be set up at police headquarters.

"Eventually, I hope to branch out and grow the network to about 125 cameras" throughout Winter Springs over the next two years, Brunelle said. That would include placing cameras at city parks, major roads and near businesses.

As described by Lt. Mike Bryant, private cameras from an Ocoee business or a homeowners association would send video to the police station. That would help police gather information before arriving at the scene of a crime.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-cities-cameras-survelliance-20140112,0,4285145.story

[kysrsoze]

1. Sounds like my friend who believes he's wealthy, and sees the need to have cameras...

and driveway gates on his property - in a town with absolutely ZERO crime.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Like I said, there is more going on here than meets the eye.

Good ole boy hijinks are common, with the connected individuals in this community committing all kinds of civil torts. But they get a wide berth because they are useful to keep down the groundswell of protests when homeowners recognize that they're being played.

This city is exactly what our country will look like if Republicans regain control at the federal level. It makes a great case against small government politics.