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From: shebs@bcsaic.UUCP (stan shebs)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Rape (A Solution)
Message-ID: <201@bcsaic.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-Aug-85 12:53:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: bcsaic.201
Posted: Fri Aug  2 12:53:41 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 6-Aug-85 11:28:24 EDT
References: <25100002@smu> <25100003@smu>
Reply-To: shebs@bcsaic.UUCP (stan shebs)
Organization: Boeing Computer Services AI Center, Seattle
Lines: 40

In article <25100003@smu> leff@smu writes:
>
>This is a rebuttal to the various responses to my article on
>a solution for the Rape Problem.  In my article I proposed video
>cameras on every street corner connected to various monitoring locations.
>
>Issue 2: People feel the cameras would be subject to vandalism and theft
>
>The original proposal had the video cameras suspended high up (between
>streetlights for example).  Thus they would be no more vulnerable
>to vandalism than street or traffic lights are today.  The bulletproof
>plexiglass would decrease the vulnerability still further.
>
>Furthermore, the system would readily detect vandalism attempts.  If a
>person was attempting to knock down a camera (by climbing up a ladder with a
>paint can, or by shooting at it), the person monitoring the camera would see
>some signs of the activity (hearing the gun shot, man on a ladder, or
>observing a person with a gun) before the camera was down.  Once the camera
>was rendered inoperative, that would certainly be obvious as a blank screen
>and police would be summoned to the intersection to apprehend any suspects
>and protect the area until a new one could be installed.  Also, the cameras
>on the adjacent four corners would be used to observe the people fleeing
>from the scene of the vandalism.  (If any type of crime is committed, the
>system can be used to track where the perpetrators are going so that the
>police can be given instructions as to where to go to apprehend them.)

Since the cameras would inevitably be used for general criminal suppression
(wouldn't be cost-effective just for rapes), you can bet that organized
crime would take a great interest in neutralizing 90+% of the cameras.
It would be very easy to develop a "paint gun" and wear a stocking over
one's head.  The mob could offer 1$/camera for painting over, and maybe
offer to fence any removed cameras (removal being slightly riskier than
painting over).  The police couldn't possibly respond fast enough to
stay ahead of the paid vandals, and if nearly all the cameras are out,
you couldn't "track" anyone!

Perhaps this is one of the reasons the Soviets, South Africans, and
others don't use cameras everywhere, hmmm?

							stan shebs