4 ms·

I don't honestly believe that the allocation of additional surveillance resources would have helped. What's more likely, IMO, is that the crimes you described

by oxide 10y ago

I don't honestly believe that the allocation of additional surveillance resources would have helped. What's more likely, IMO, is that the crimes you described would never be solved even with millions of dollars in surveillance resources allocated to Oakland. Also, this is one side of a story. Who's to say you aren't making things up, exaggerating, or even minimizing your provocation? Do you think surveillance resources would have been best used solving a case of road rage? How many drones and cameras should have been used to bring justice to a mentally ill homeless man? Would you have preferred a helicopter was deployed to locate a damaged car that may or may not have struck your vehicle? The truth about crime is that most of it goes unpunished, a fact every adult has to come to terms with eventually. There aren't enough cameras in the world to stop a cop from filing your police report in a stack of paperwork and forgetting about it.

ggreer 10y ago
That's a very uncharitable reading of my comment. I'm curious how I could provoke someone into attacking me with cinder blocks or threatening to run me over while driving in a bike lane. To me, it sounds like you're either calling me a liar or victim-blaming. I'm not saying the cops should have used expensive equipment like helicopters. But cameras –even stationary ones– could have recorded the license plate numbers (and perhaps faces) of the drivers. In the case of the homeless man's attack, the police spent a good couple of hours getting more information. They went around the neighborhood and knocked on doors asking for footage from security cameras. A more centralized system of surveillance cameras could have tracked the man's movements and helped the cops both find and identify him. More automation and surveillance would not ensure these people were caught, but it would increase the likelihood enough to discourage such behavior.
- mixmastamyk 10y ago
  Sounds like you might benefit from a cheap security camera on your bike, car, or backpack that can be started quickly. Must be cheap by now.

by oxide 10y ago

ggreer 10y ago

That's a very uncharitable reading of my comment. I'm curious how I could provoke someone into attacking me with cinder blocks or threatening to run me over while driving in a bike lane. To me, it sounds like you're either calling me a liar or victim-blaming. I'm not saying the cops should have used expensive equipment like helicopters. But cameras –even stationary ones– could have recorded the license plate numbers (and perhaps faces) of the drivers. In the case of the homeless man's attack, the police spent a good couple of hours getting more information. They went around the neighborhood and knocked on doors asking for footage from security cameras. A more centralized system of surveillance cameras could have tracked the man's movements and helped the cops both find and identify him. More automation and surveillance would not ensure these people were caught, but it would increase the likelihood enough to discourage such behavior.

mixmastamyk 10y ago
Sounds like you might benefit from a cheap security camera on your bike, car, or backpack that can be started quickly. Must be cheap by now.