Critical thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

Is monitoring in public locations a problem? Since the events of 9/11 the surveillance of public spaces has taken on a greater importance and urgency. Some large cities have integrated complex networks of cameras on almost ever street corner, public transit, classroom, and even businesses. On one hand the surveillance cameras would be a huge deterrent for crime, but they have no way to actually stop crimes and the cameras may be considered invading one's privacy.

The University of Minnesota website shows that it is for monitoring in public areas. Students from the school actually set up cameras across a bus stop and found that criminals doing illegal activities were likely to show up to the scene of the crime on future days. Having cameras up in public areas is a huge deterrent to crime and I believe that it is not an invasion to privacy because it's in a public place (UMN.)

On the debate website the people who are against monitoring in public areas mainly say it is because it is an invasion of the privacy of law-abiding citizens. They also say that who ever is controlling the cameras could abuse the system. The cameras that are installed are also not very good cameras and the pictures turn out very blurry (Debate.)

I am for monitoring in public areas because the good things outweigh the bad ones. Crime can be very bad in certain parts of the cities and having a camera there would not only catch the criminals but also keep the streets safer. It is true that most people are law abiding and do not need to be watched on cameras but I personally do not think it is a big deal and choose safety over privacy.

Sources:
"Publications:." Monitoring Activity in Public Places. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. .

"Public Surveillance Pros and Cons." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. .

"Society Opinions." Are Video Surveillance Cameras in Public Places a Good Idea? – Debate.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. .