Laughing Boy wrote: ] ] Tampa police have scrapped their controversial security ] ] camera system that scanned city streets for criminals, ] ] citing its failure over two years to recognize anyone ] ] wanted by authorities. ] ] ] ] The system was intended to recognize the facial ] ] characteristics of felons, sexual predators and runaway ] ] children by matching passers-by in Ybor City with a ] ] database of 30,000 mug shots. ] ] ] ] "It's just proven not to have any benefit to us," Capt. ] ] Bob Guidara, a department spokesman, said Tuesday. The ] ] cameras have led only to arrests for such crimes as drug ] ] deals. ] ] ] ] Tampa was the first city in the United States to install ] ] the permanent camera surveillance system along public ] ] streets and the technology was used during the 2001 Super ] ] Bowl. ] ] ] ] Critics welcomed the end of the program. ] ] ] ] "It's a relief," said Darlene Williams, chairwoman of the ] ] Greater Tampa Chapter of the ACLU. "Any time you have ] ] this sort of technology on public streets, you are ] ] subjecting people who come to Ybor to an electronic ] ] police lineup, without any kind of probable cause." ] ] YAY!! Chalk up a win for civil liberties... at least for now. ] If in say 5 to 10 years the facial recogition biometrics have ] improved substantially, expect us to face this beast all over ] again. ] ] LB hear hear! RE: Tampa police eliminate controversial facial-recognition system |