Batavia PD asks citizens and business owners with security cameras to help them fight crime

I like that last statement. The project lets the police know where they might be able to get videos that could help solve a crive, yet the statement makes it clear the right to turn the videos over to the police are securely in the hands of the citizen.

Great idea.

Hey Big Brother ..........I did notice there wasn't anyone's name or title associated with this request. do they really have a need for spies in Batavia? ... asking people to spy on each other, doesn't get much lower than that... on the other hand, maybe the city can pink slip the patrols as the citizens are doing their job for them.

In the news today David Spaulding was bitch slapped and robbed on Main Street at 1pm. Strangely ever business and home owners security cameras recordings were erased from 12:55pm - 1:05pm leaving police with no suspects.

David, where did you get spying? All they are saying is that "if" you do have a security camera, and are willing, to register it.

If it picks up somebody stealing a package from a neighbor or some other crime, what is wrong with that? You did notice it was if something happened, like a crime, right?

John, I don't like the "registered" part.... let's say a crime happens on Main St. around 1pm. A police officer can go to the spot of the crime and ........and....... look around for a camera. BAM...If he sees a camera, follow up. so easy and no one had to register anything, no additional personnel to over see the process......

David, not all cameras are that easy to see. Some are very small that they sell to homeowners. The registration is voluntary and might help solve a crime. Again, nobody has to sign up, it's all voluntary.

David. I have to agree with John. There are 1080p video cameras nowadays that are the size of sugar cubes. The days of (needing) Quaker Oats box-sized surveillance cameras are gone. A quick research of video cameras used in the R/C industry shows just some of what's available. Consumer "drones" require mini cameras with high quality video. Placing such cameras in inconspicuous locations severely restricts their being found. Using high-capacity mini SD cards allows multiple hours of recording time.

Of course this is spying. Check the definitions [there are several], here's some that fit:
- to watch secretly
- work for a government or other organization by secretly collecting information
- to watch or observe secretly
- to catch sight of
- to be on the lookout; keep watch

But hey, if the Congress thinks it's OK for the Federal government to do it [FISA 702-warrantless surveillance], then I'm sure this small scale effort is just fine.

Welcome to 1984

Of course, Brian, those definitions don't apply to what the police have proposed.

We all know there are private security cameras throughout the state. Police know where some of these are. There have been several instances where The Batavian has posted footage from those cameras. That has sometimes helped solve a crime.

The police don't know where all of them are, though, so they could ask permission, after the fact (which removes any notion of spying from the equation) to review the footage. The fact that the police would even know about the camera is purely voluntary by the camera's owner and the police would only have access to it with the owner's permission upon request for a specific incident.

To paint this as some sort of police state action is ludicrous.

We're all in this community together. We have an obligation to each other to help each other. This is just another way to accomplish that mission.

It is voluntary until there is a court order. Then you could get charged with withholding or tampering with evidence.

Which could happen even without the database.

Howard, do not confuse Brian with facts again. It hurts him. Amazing how many do not understand this is voluntary. Nobody has to do it.

Of course they can be applied Howard, but that's OK, you and John are ignorant sometimes, and obvious lovers of more government. This would amount to warrantless surveillance... It doesn't matter if it's voluntary or not, the government technically is soliciting it. As Tufts said already, it is voluntary until the government decides it's not. Case-in-point: all the private sector surveillance that captured the 'alleged' 757 that hit the Pentagon. All those cameras were immediately confiscated and the public never was allowed to see what they recorded. And BTW, I'm not even totally opposed to this, but I do see it as another slippery slope.

" This would amount to warrantless surveillance... "

Nonsense.

Further, if the camera are pointed at a public area, there is no expectation of privacy, so anybody -- police, me, your neighbor, a local business owner -- can take all the pictures of you they want.

You don't need a warrant if the person who owns the property voluntarily surrenders it, and if the case were big enough and a person was unwilling to cooperate, I would expect the police to rightfully seek a subpoena. That's called due process. The rule of law is not big government.

Brian, you have said so many stupid things, but "warrantless surveillance" is one of your best.

If I have a security camera to monitor my house and it catches you committing a crime in its field of view, that is not warrantless surveillance. Boy, where do you come up with this stuff?

All this voluntary sign up does is tell the cops you have a camera and you are willing to help them catch a criminal if you can.

Oh, and ":alleged" 757 plane hitting the Pentagon on 9-11. Oh boy, you are something.

oh, I totally missed ":alleged" 757 plane hitting the Pentagon on 9-11."

What a hoot.

Here government apologists, [John, you're a FOIL expert] Hoot on this. Obviously you fellas know more about airplanes than professional pilots.

All that would be necessary to debunk the naysayers like me would be 'show the confiscated private surveillance camera recordings to the public'.

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/no-hard-evidence-aa77.html

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/Dennis-Cimino-AA77-FDR.html

...but....but....but jet fuel doesn’t burn hot enough to melt steel.....

AHHHHH HHHAAAAHHHAAAHHAAAA HAAAA HAAAA!!!!!!

Edit:
My apologies for any ambiguity in my post... I was actually making fun of those who foolishly believe that the towers could not have been destroyed because jet fuel doesn't burn hot enough to melt steel. My apologies for that ambiguity.

How about this: HOLY CRAP THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THE TWIN TOWERS WERE BROUGHT DOWN WITH CONTROLLED EXPLOSIVES?!? I thought truthers would have died out by now barely having the brain-power to breathe and all. ;-)

Yea Brian. The government faked 9/11. They crashed the plans in NYC and dived that plane into the ground in PA. You are something

Oh, Brian, do you also think the cameras used to photograph wildlife are warrantless surveillance cameras also? They might catch a criminal.

I think JFK flew both of those jets into the Twin Towers and Elvis was on the Grassy Knoll and Sasquatch is president of the Trilateral Commission.

FWIW: Argument from Authority.

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority

Also, anybody can set up a website and say they're a pilot or an engineer or a dentist, for that matter. It doesn't make it so. When somebody has an outlandish agenda they want to push, that should raise red flags.

No, Tim, jet fuel does not burn hot enough to melt steel... and it certainly doesn't burn hot enough to create molten steel that "drips and runs down the sides of the walls".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oVs_94VHk8&feature=youtu.be&list=PLUsh…

BTW, since you know more than an international consortium of Architects and Engineers, perhaps you can tell us why WTC Bldg #7 suddenly collapsed at 'free fall speed' almost 8 1/2 hours after the planes impacted WTC #1 & #2 [#7 was not hit].

Once again Howard and Roach are showing their superior enlightenment. Yea... maybe Bambi hijacked and flew flight 77. John, do you know if anyone caught that on camera?

Brian, you are now the official comic relief.

OMG... Architects & Engineers for 911 Truth has over 2,900 'credentialed' members from several countries... "anybody can set up a website and say they're a pilot or an engineer"... Yea, and even more so anyone could set up a website pretending to be a news reporter and/or journalist.

“anyone could set up a website pretending to be a news reporter and/or journalist.”

Yeah, I hate that.

Roach, you are a lying, deceiving POG.
"Yea Brian. The government faked 9/11. They crashed the plans in NYC and dived that plane into the ground in PA." Did I say that anywhere in this conversation? DID I SAY THAT ANYWHERE IN THIS CONVERSATION, John?????

Yet again you show your true colors... when you can't sustain a viable debate, or aren't capable of understanding, you resort to character assassination.

Graz (not even your real name) You have this voluntary City of Batavia camera registration as spying, warrantless surveillance, and 9/11 is faked And you don't think your funny? You sell yourself short.

Please note that the police department will not have the ability to freely or remotely access your cameras, claim ownership, or dictate the camera systems functions.
This is simply a database that will allow the Batavia Police Department to see who might have captured footage related to a particular crime.

If this in anyway will help the people of Batavia to be safer than I am 100% in!
Is it not time we as Batavians take charge and help our city be a safe place to live?
Am sure that all of the negative people will disagree but it’s is only my opinion.

Thank you Bernie

Graz (not even your real name). Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa??? Showing more of that superior enlightenment.

For the record, I've been over this with Brian. He goes by Graz. All of his other social media accounts are Graz. Everybody knows him as Graz (I've confirmed this with other people offline). When I raised the real name issue with him a couple of years ago, he did switch his profile back to his full name for a while but also appealed to me to consider these facts. I decided it would actually be misleading the public for me to require him to use his legal name. He is Graz for all social purposes. It's like a recognizable pen name for a writer. He gets to use Graz on The Batavian. It's not a fake name meant to hide his identity. It is who he is.

WOW... Howard, have you been doing warrentless surveillance on me?
Did you actually remember all this scenario "voluntarily", or did you have records to "subpoena"? Tell the truth... no fake news please. ;>/

The best 9/11 conspiracy theory takedown came last year from Popular Mechanics.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a6384/debunking-911-myths-worl…

Here is the link to Scientific American about the Twin Towers.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-the-twin-towers-fell/