the district police would make george orwell proud

it is not 1984, and i guess we are not living in a policy state. but sometimes, these days, here in the united states of america it is hard to be sure neither is the case. the current administration has done anything it can to turn 1984 into non-fiction (trying to spy on any communication even between americans, sending even americans into prison camps in some case indefinitely). and for the policy state, well if you walk around nearly any large city in this country you will find police everywhere. today the police here in the nation’s capital, washington dc, has started to use 73 newly installed surveillance cameras (also known as CCTV) all over the city. 

Since August 2006, the city has installed 73 cameras across the city, mostly on utility poles, at a cost of about $4 million. But until recently, officers were using them mainly as an investigative tool — checking the recordings after crimes were committed in hopes of turning up leads and evidence. 

 here is a map of all the locations of the cameras, which according to the police are located in high crime areas. and this is not all, more cameras are planned

Police hope to add about 50 cameras in the next two years and make other upgrades, at an estimated cost of $4.5 million. Of the 73 cameras in neighborhoods, police can get live feeds from 54, officials said. Eventually, they plan to have the capability to get live images from all of the cameras.  

 and these cameras are not just any of those old surveillance cameras according to the post article they have state of the art zooming capabilities, which would be used to zoom into private apartments. some years ago i watched a bbc program about the london experience (where they have half a million cameras). and police there mentioned success stories like this one here in washington dc

Police have directed one arrest from the command center, a drug deal they spotted at a Northwest Washington gas station a few weeks ago. Officers called in vice units that surprised the suspect.  

 but what was an interesting learning from the london experience was that if at all they were able to just address petty crime, never where they able to prevent a serious crime (like murder), in those cases the camera could only be used after the murder had happened. more importantly there was little evidence of the deterrence impact of the cameras. and when they looked at what police officers where monitoring a majority was looking at women and blacks. unlike london washington though has a real crime problem.  and i doubt that these cameras will make a dent in the statistics if there is not going to be a dramatic change in the way the police operates. for example the cameras are located in high-crime areas. what happens if those crime areas move? maybe just around the corner? crime moves, what is a peaceful place today might be a drug deal area tomorrow. you might catch a criminal here and there, but just like speed cameras do not get rid of speeding they just move the crime to another area. that is why successful cities have put police on the street. and most of the police in DC sits usually in their car. just last night is saw a car parked on a side street of harvard street with a police officer sitting inside reading a paper (btw, in that area a drive by shooting happened in halloween with 41 shots being fired and a police officer sitting in a car a block away not hearing the shots). i know it is cold outside, or it might be raining, or it might be humid, but if you want to fight crime you can have police officers sit in their cars, or as they usually do, speed across town with speeds that don’t allow them to see anything going on around them. so safe the $4 million and get officers on the street. let me for once see a couple of police officers stroll down a street like you see them in london. if i can see the same officer in my neighborhood for a couple of weeks in a row, someone who gets to know people and store owners then we will make progress, not when we hang up cameras.  

senator hutchison, please keep your fucking texan hands out of DC politics

as most of us know the supreme court is going to decide on the district of columbia’s right to ban handguns. one of those that is pushing for the legalization of handguns is a senator from texas. senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (oh, yes, she is a republican). she went as far as to introduce the “District of Columbia Personal Protection Act” — at least that is how she calls it. she says she has always had a handgun in her drawer and would like to have the same right while in the District that she has down in texas. now i am fully aware of the extremely high quality of public servants that the great state of texas has provided this country, just take a look at the white house, but this is a senator. not a president. so please ms. hutchison keep your hands out of the district’s business. i don’t care what you do in texas because i couldn’t give two shits about that state, but you were not elected here in the District, and i doubt you would ever get elected here. you can go to texas and shoot and be shot as much as you like, but please care about your own stuff and let us that have to live here care about our things.

this is a decision the district and the people that live here have to make, not you, some third rate senator from the sticks. so, please, pack your stuff (make sure you take all your guns) and go back to where you come from, there you can do what you want.

fare calculator will help with the transition from zones to meters

as those of you who live in DC or visit a lot know, major fenty has finally gotten rid of the zone system that is has and is currently being used in washington dc to define the fare of a cab ride. this year all cabs will have to transition to meters (just like in any other city). obviously not everyone is happy about this change, those most upset are the cab drivers. users of cabs are on the one side happy, because fares will be more transparent, at the same time there is though a bit of uncertainty about how the meter system will impact actual fares. to find out how fares will differ, the washington post has put together a nifty fare calculator.

after testing a couple of routes i know, i have to say i understand why the cab drivers are not that happy, most routs i take are now about $1 cheaper, those that are more expensive are about $1 more expensive, so if you take the route with someone else in the cab then there is already no difference anymore (since in the new system there won’t be a surcharge for extra passengers).