Surveillance Cameras

Surveillance Cameras

How are kids safe at night? Do they roam the streets without adult supervision? Are drug dealers taking over the streets? Are drivers nervous of everyone else’s bad driving habits? Although some believe law enforcement cameras invade privacy and disrupt everyday lives, cameras help keep citizens safe. “Police departments across Great Britain credit cameras with dramatic crime reduction, citing such impressive results as 75 percent drop in Airdrie, Scotland, a 68 percent reduction in Glasgow, Scotland, and a 57 percent drop in Northampton” (Taylor 44+). Without the use of cameras everywhere, there would be an excessive amount of accidents, killings, burglaries, drugs, and illegal acts. The use of law enforcement cameras help decrease drug trades, capture traffic violations, and protect neighborhoods without affecting the privacy of citizens.

Surveillance cameras today help police officers and other law enforcement agencies reduce drug trades. Drug dealers make trades in places where they feel comfortable with their surroundings and familiar with the people. By putting surveillance cameras in areas where drug trade appears the highest, cops obtain a greater chance of catching dealers. In their “familiar” areas, they know where to hide the drugs, who is not their friends, and where the police roam. Dealers try to find places where cameras are less common. However, in order to keep track of dealers, and eventually cut them off, cops place plenty of cameras anywhere and everywhere. “We’re not getting rid of anything, we’re moving it around” (Taylor 44+). The cameras force these drug dealers to move about and find new unfamiliar places. By moving these drug trades around, officers are now making more arrests tha...

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... Surveillance videos are used as teaching devices by helping kids and teenagers visualize life situations and the importance on why cameras help people. What people do not understand is that cameras and surveillance tapes are here for the purpose of helping and protecting all citizens.

Works Cited

Dale, Dennis. “Auto Asphyxiation.” The American Conservative 7.16 (25 August 2008): 22-23. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

Perlman, Ellen. “The Valley of Surveillance.” Governing 20.10 (July 2007): 38-40, 42, 44-5. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

“Recording Compliance Saves Costs.” Advanced Transportation Technology News July 2001: 8. General OneFile. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.

“Security Camera Use in Deterring Crime.” USA Today 125 (April 1997): 3-4. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

Taylor, Brian J. “The Screening of America: crime, cops, and cameras.” Reason May 1997: 44+. General OneFile. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.