LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Video Surveillance: Crimes
built 290 days ago
The law allows libraries to turn over video surveillance tapes to police if a crime has occurred in the library. It stems from separate incidents in Neenah and Sun Prairie libraries where crimes were committed, but librarians had to wait until they were served with a subpeona. Under this new law, Northern Waters Library Service Director Jim Trojanowski in Ashland says they can move faster against lawbreakers. "So if we caught a patron defacing library materials for example, tearing up books or creating a problem like that or engaged in more serious conduct, sexual misbehavior, things like that." Trojanowski says this is a narrow exception to the court order requirement, so the privacy of patrons isn't compromised. "Law enforcement can't come in and ask to view the surveillance tapes to try to find out who may be using certain sections of the libary or who may have borrowed particular material without a court order."
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In 1993, the town of Dover funded ($30,000) the installation of 4 video surveillance cameras in its downtown and city flea market areas. The cameras are monitored 24 hours-a-day by the police department. The initial goal was to deter loitering but the cameras now serve as a general crime deterrent. According to observers, the public initially was not very supportive of CCTV video surveillance, but opinion changed when loitering disappeared. Dover officials may expand the CCTV cameras to other areas, such as the railroad station and downtown shopping district.
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The secrecy of video surveillance may raise certain chilling effects associated with violations of the United States Constitution's First and Fourth Amendments. An individual may never know if law enforcement monitors her actions with the use of video surveillance. "Accordingly, all members of the community, law abiding citizens as well as criminals, may constantly fear ongoing law enforcement surveillance. . . . The Supreme Court has recognized the concerns raised by secret search techniques, noting that such undisclosed searches may have a chilling effect on First Amendment rights."46
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Generally, the data suggest that CCTV video surveillance is successful in reducing and preventing crimes and is helpful in prosecuting individuals caught in the act of committing a crime. In addition, there may be public law enforcement cost savings. Critics argue that public video surveillance conflicts with the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. These concerns and other related issues are discussed in this paper.
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In this situation, CCTV and video surveillance systems capable of capturing, transmitting and recording real-time data are seen as the only solution to deter crime. However, at present, the difficulty in convincing resellers and end users to follow the market trend towards IP technology is slowing down the migration to network-based solutions.
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Law enforcement officials claim that the use of video surveillance equipment in public places will help to deter crime. Criminals will not commit crimes if they know they are going to be video taped.
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