Some Baltimore Residents Are Lobbying To Bring Back Aerial Surveillance (theoutline.com)

A local group in Baltimore argues that a plane providing real-time surveillance of the city will dial down police brutality. From a report: A piloted plane would fly over the city, capture images from 30,000 feet in the air, and use a computer program to stitch the photos together for a real-time, by-the-second portrait of what's happening on the ground. With access to all 911 dispatches, which provide information about the the time and place of a crime, local analysts could track the dot-like people and cars at the scene of a crime forward and backward in time until they arrive at a house or address. With a permit from the city of Baltimore, this surveillance system could access videos from street cameras and cross-reference their aerial data with precise, on-the-ground footage.

The analysts would then compose a PowerPoint report with visual data and a written explanation regarding the activities of all possible suspects or witnesses, and they send out five copies of that report via thumb drive: two copies go to the Baltimore police (one for an investigator, and one for evidence storage), and if the case goes to trial, two copies are given to the city prosecutor, and one copy is given to the defense. All of this could occur in just a few hours. Baltimore residents argue that a system like this is the only solution for a city grappling with high crime rates and a systemically corrupt police department.

Comments

So reform. That is the only solution.

[bill.pev]

The solution to a systemically corrupt police force should be the reformation of the police force, not some multi-million dollar project to watch all activity in the city and beget from, dare I say it, corruption itself. Plus, where would that end?

I hope "the citizens" all declared their personal interests in such a project. As if.

Dirigibles!

[Anonymous Coward]

If they want constant aerial surveillance, use a constant aerial observation platform. A collection of lighter-than-air craft with high resolution cameras can record the entire city constantly and at much lower per-day energy costs than spyplanes.
Use some combination of course-correction and semi-strong tethers to maintain position. With the size of modern cameras and communication options, each skyeye only needs a few pounds of payload, which can be padded to minimize risk when the lift portions fail..

Know anything about "Community With Solutions"?

[rsilvergun]

It's the lobbying group the 6 folks who want this set up. I bet if you did some digging you'd find they're not just after security. If I had to guess they run a company that fuels the planes or something. Every time I see something like this that no sane person would want I find a PAC behind it looking to line their pockets.