Last year the Marshfield Police Department deployed more than a dozen video cameras in several high-risk public buildings to secure the town’s infrastructure. But these cameras aren’t your average 24/7 video surveillance recorders. Each one features an “eyelid” that opens and closes via remote control.
The department has so far installed the cameras at the town hall, library, a recreation center and airport. Striking a balance between safety and privacy, this surveillance system helps police officers gain real-time video access during an incident while also easing concerns of citizens who don’t like to be watched by cameras constantly, according to Bill Sullivan, Marshfield’s chief of police.
Across the country, law enforcement agencies continue to see video surveillance systems as potential crime-fighting tools. For example, inRamsey County, Minn., even the public can view some of the local video feeds and report crime in progress as part of a Neighborhood eWatch program. But rarely do these tools win praise from privacy advocates, who believe these Big Brother-esque cameras encroach on personal freedoms.
The battle has been ongoing in different Massachusetts communities. In February 2009, the Cambridge City Council voted 9-0 to oppose the installation of police cameras provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. Later that year, the Brookline Town Meeting also voted to remove cameras.
Go to Government Technology for more information about the Marshfield Police Department's video surveillance system.
