Legal Commentary

Baltimore Police Initiate "iWatch" Snoop Program

By Jeralyn

Citizen Snoop meets Citizen Snitch in Baltimore. The Baltimore Police have initiated a program called iWatch in which it asks citizens to text or send videos and photos of suspicious behavior. The site is monitored 24/7.

Citizens are encouraged to report activity that just does not fit. You can now use our web tips form to submit a tip or report suspicious activity to police. Information can be sent from your cell phone, hand-held device, or computer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Tips can also be e-mailed.

Among the suspicious behaviors it encourages people to report:

• Unknown individuals loitering or lurking near you
• People drawing or measuring important buildings
• Strangers asking questions about a home or building
• People who identify themselves but do not have credentials

Places it encourages you to watch:[More...]

• Your neighborhood
• Government buildings
• Religious facilities
• Amusement parks
• Sports/Entertainment venues
• Mass gathering locations such as parades and fairs
• Schools
• Hotels
• Theaters
• Shopping centers
• Bridges
• Public transportation

Baltimore residents can sign up to receive e-mails about the tips.

It goes beyond police, in that users will be able to file complaints about quality-of-life issues on everything from animals to abandoned cars.

What's next? Urging citizens to buy infrared cameras and aim them at their neighbors' windows to spy on what's going on inside?

In Miami, the Sun reports (link above), police are using a flying surveillance drone built by a military contractor.

Law enforcement calls this stuff "techno crime fighting." I call it invasive and a huge waste of time and money.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on February 20, 2011 (boomark / email).