The use of security cameras in public areas by the government, whether it be local or national, is a hot button topic for a lot of people and a great debate in our country. A lot of people think that these types of cameras will deter crime and even catch criminals after they have committed a crime. Others still fear the whole "Big Brother is always watching" privacy issue. What do you think?Well, despite your feelings on the issue, police that are investigating the murder of two British tourists at a public housing complex in Florida are utilizing evidence found on a single government surveillance camera that was installed on a nearby roof a month prior.
However, the detective's ability to piece together the moments leading up to the shootings is not as good as it could have been due to the fact that the installation of nine other security cameras was delayed by government bureaucracy. The Sarasota Housing Authority planned on stationing several dozen cameras around the The Courts as well as the other housing developments at the end of 2010.
However, instead of cameras there are empty poles where the cameras would have been positioned throughout The Court, including several between the site of the killings and the home where the 16-year-old charged with the killings lives with his mother.
Police have stated that even if the cameras did not catch the actual shootings of James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, they might have offered clues to how the two arrived at The Courts or could have helped identify anybody walking nearby at the time of the shooting.
According to Sarasota Police Captain Paul Sutton, "Even if it's not the suspect, even if it's not the victim, that may give you people who need to talk, who are potential witnesses to the crime."
Source: Security Info Watch - Florida killings highlight cameras' potential worth
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Sony Electronics has just recently announced the new EP and ER series of network cameras. These new cameras are PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) and rapid dome models each feature three different units that cater to diverse customer needs. Each of these new cameras is also compatible with full HD 1080p output, HD 720p output or standard definition output and the six new network cameras also represent the most comprehensive lineup of full featured, wide-area surveillance units in Sony's HD security camera series. All of these cameras are rich with features and are integral for high-definition, wide-area video surveillance. These cameras can serve a multitude of services and are recommended for peripheral surveillance for large buildings, factories and parking lots. They are also good for monitoring roads, highways and transportation hubs. They are also good for public utilities like power and water purification plants or for surveillance on city streets. According to Marketing Manager for Sony Electronics Security Solutions Division Miguel Lazatin, "High definition PTZ cameras fill an important niche in most vertical solutions we offer customers. They provide the video coverage on the perimeter and peripheral locations in most security solutions from Sony." These new high speed cameras are capable of full PTZ functions of up to 360-degrees per second and can also utilize Sony's DynaView technology in order to facilitate wide-dynamic range, even in backlit environments. Both the EP and ER series of network cameras also receive power via Ethernet (POE) which makes installation simple and increases the flexibility of where the cameras can be mounted. These full HD cameras, utilizing an optical block developed by Sony, feature a high magnification zoom functionality. The SNC-EP580 and SNC-ER580 models feature 20x optical zoom while the SNC-EP550 and SNC-ER550 feature 28x optical zoom with a minimum rotation radius of 340-degrees. Some models even feature endless (360-degree) rotation for the widest area surveillance possible. Other special features include: 