1,500 Cameras Watch Over the San Francisco International Airport

You know those paranoid people who are always spouting about how "big brother is always watching us?" Well, some of them may be right, at least if they live near the San Francisco International Airport. You see, from the moment you leave the freeway until the moment you board your plane you are being closely monitored by 1,500 video surveillance cameras which are a part of the SFO's new one-of-a-kind surveillance system.

The system is definitely interesting and leaves nothing unwatched. With the SFO's system, two groups of security analysts watch a wall of security monitors, the TSA (in-between pat-downs) watches the checkpoints and SFO security workers watch everything else. According to Kim Dickie, Assistant Deputy Airport Director at SFO, "We are focused overall so if we have an incident anywhere in the airport we really want to be able to have a view of that."

The interesting part is that there are only a handful of airports in the entire world that have a security setup like this. $20 million worth of security cameras are already in use and an additional $1.5 million more is being spent on the new SFO terminal opening in a few months. "We keep adding cameras every month and every day," said SFO security analyst Liam O'Byrne.

That is a lot of money on a security setup and it begs the perennial question of how closely are travelers being being watched? Let's just say that your process of driving into the airport, parking at the curb, going through security and walking to the gate is all monitored. The cameras pick up your every move. Believe it or not, even with 1,500 cameras there are still a few holes in the system. The TSA definitely wants you to know they are watching, but they do not want you to know where they are not.

There are at least 20 visible cameras on your drive through the airport, your walk through security and your trip through the terminal. However, it is also very clear that there are cameras along that route that are not visible since the SFO stated that there are more than 30 cameras that monitor that particular trek through the airport.

The cameras cannot watch every single person at every single moment they are in the airport, but what they can do is go through footage to see if a person who started a fight in the terminal got drunk at one of the airport bars earlier. If somebody accuses a security agent, or anybody for that matter, of stealing or of "inappropriate conduct", then reviewing the footage from the cameras can back up or refute that claim. Even the SFO employees know they are being watched. According to O'Byrne, "Thefts have gone drastically down because we can watch them and employees all know." One thing is for certain, the cameras are expected and security officials believe that they work.

Source: KTVU.com - New Camera System Keeps Watchful Eye Over SFO

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Use of Security Cameras More Prevalent in Small Towns

We all know that a lot of businesses use security cameras to protect their store, products etc... and you generally would assume that security camera systems are more prominent in big cities. Big cities are home to a lot more people, have more expensive stores, more stores in general and a wealthier customer base. However, if you assume that bigger cities have more security cameras you'd be wrong because, as it turns out, video surveillance is used more in small towns than big cities.

One such area is Saginaw, Michigan. Saginaw has a population of only 55,238 residents and installed 17 security cameras at a water park/skate park and plans on adding more by June in other parts of the city according to Mayor Greg Branch. "Crime for us is trending downward, but we still have a lot more crime than we want," he says. Adding more security cameras is also a lot cheaper than hiring more police officers. "Every city is facing budget pressures," he added. "We can't put more police on the street." A federal grant in the sum of $300,000 will pay for the new cameras.

Big cities like Chicago, New York and Washington have cameras installed in high crime areas, and a lot of businesses have them installed inside and outside their buildings. A security camera in Tucson caught footage of the shooting which killed six individuals and severely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Dan Kobil, a constitutional law professor at Columbus, Ohio's Capital University Law School, says that the courts have ruled that people have no expectation of privacy in public settings. Kobil added that as technology becomes more precise and allows for the quality of images to improve, courts will likely revisit the issue. Kobil stated, "Although cameras are an important tool for law enforcement, I'm disturbed by it... as someone who values my privacy.

Other small towns that are hopping on the camera train include:

Lafayette, Indiana, with a population of 65,704, has around 15 cameras and is considering adding at least 30 more. According to Police Chief Don Roush, the cameras helped solve a 2008 homicide.

Williamsport, Pennsylvania has a population of 29,304 and is seeking bids for a security camera system. Gabriel Campana, Mayor of Williamsport, says that he wants them in the residential areas "where we've had challenges. My No. 1 concern is public safety.

Salisbury, Maryland, with a population of 28,327, has police which are advising downtown property owners who want cameras to get them. There is a lot of support in the area and cameras could be in place as early as this summer.

Vineland, New Jersey has a population of 59,198 and also 23 video surveillance cameras as well as 7 cameras used to identify the license plates of vehicles involved in crimes. These cameras were bought with a state grant in the amount of $200,000. Mayor Robert Romano says, "People had the perception that downtown wasn't safe, and perception becomes reality if you don't keep it in check. This makes people feel safer."

I feel like we will be seeing a lot more small cities installing security camera systems as the price of cameras drops and installation becomes easier. Add that with the fact that almost any city can get cameras through government grants and the possibilities are limitless.

Source: USA Today - Video surveillance used more by small towns

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