Municipal Surveillance Lessons For LE

Municipal surveillance enabled by CCTV cameras, fingerprint readers and fiber-optics systems are helping two Texas law enforcement agencies identify suspects while solving crimes.

These two cases in point were outlined at a surveillance summit in Dallas this fall that was sponsored by ADT Security Services. Scott Goldfine, editor-in-chief of POLICE Magazine's sister publication SSI, attended a workshop that featured presentations from chiefs of two Texas departments discussing how technology has assisted their crime fighting.

The Bryan Police Department began using LiveScan, a fingerprint technology that allows officers to take instant scans of prints for quick identification. The department also began using pan/tilt/zoom cameras on a hotel in an older section of town under revitalization.

The chief of the McGregor Police Department discussed how the department navigated the issue of placing cameras on state property without invading the privacy of residents.

Read Goldfine's full post in his "Under Surveillance" blog.