** ** *Surveillance plane to circle Lancaster ten hours a day*
Published 16 November 2011 http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/surveillance-plane-circle-lancaster-ten-hours-day Beginning in May, a Cessna 172 airplane will hover over the Lancaster, California for ten hours a day collecting intelligence and keeping an eye on residents; the surveillance program was recently approved by city leaders in an effort to fight crime, but the prospect of aerial surveillance has critics concerned about privacy violations A Cessna 172 will perform aerial surveillance for ten hours daily // Source: paper-replika.com Beginning in May, a Cessna 172 airplane willhover over the Lancaster, California for ten hours a day collecting intelligence and keeping an eye on residents. The surveillance program was recently approved by city leaders in an effort to fight crime, but the prospect of aerial surveillance has critics concerned about privacy violations. Under the plan, the plane would circle the city at 1,000 to 3,000 feet for roughly ten hours a day while a crew aboard the plane would monitor activity on the ground with a suite of video cameras and infrared sensors. The cameras would be able to spot a home invasion, track unsuspecting criminals, or note traffic accidents and then record footage and transmit it to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Law enforcement officials say the plane would help reduce response times, but critics say having a surveillance team constantly circling overhead even when crimes are not in progress is a violation of privacy. “People who have done nothing wrong shouldn’t have anything they do in their yards or homes subject to video surveillance from the sky,” said Peter Bibring, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s southern California chapter. “To the extent that it involves observing things which a typical pilot overhead might not be able to see, it raises serious constitutional questions.” The ACLU has requested further details about the program including the specific capabilities of the Cessna’s cameras, how long video will be stored, and whether images gathered by the Sheriff’s Department will be public record. In contrast, local law enforcement officials say the plane will help bolster surveillance, patrol, and investigative capabilities. Captain Bob Jonsen of the Lancaster sheriff’s station said the plane will allow officers “to see what’s going on at the scene of a crime almost instantaneously.” According to Jonsen, the pilot will circle the city and when a 911 call comes in the location will be relayed to the pilot and they will fly to the specified area and begin recording. To launch the program, the city will need $1.3 million, which will be obtained from the city’s budget, and operational costs are estimated at $90,000 a month, or $300 an hour. **** -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
