South Florida Cameras Become New Form Of Policing
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A new virtual policing system is in place in Miami. It includes cameras catching your every move and it's just the beginning.
Miami is the first South Florida city to launch the program amid controversy.
It's funded with Homeland Security money.
Police said it means better protection for everyone while others said it's an invasion of privacy.
Police can watch people in real time and in slow motion. They can even flag the system to search for a certain car or certain color.
Click here to watch Cynthia Demos' report.
Twenty-five cameras are up and running in the city of Miami but 250 will be up in the next few weeks. In all, the system can hold up to 25,000 cameras.
"The future in policing is virtual," said City of Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa.
"This is an invasion. They don't need to monitor everyone's every move," said Baylor Johnson with the American Civil Liberties Union.
Folks who live here have mixed feelings on the matter.
"I think it's great," said one resident.
"I don't like it," said another resident.
Cameras are going to be in government buildings and high crime areas.
At the American Airlines Arena, there will be six cameras on Biscayne Boulevard.
The cameras can actually shoot 25 miles out. They can also get boat registration numbers and read license tag numbers. If there's a be on the lookout for a tag, it will get flagged and an alarm will go off.
The system will eventually tie into the already existing red light cameras and other existing surveillance cameras in town
The camera system in Time Square in 2010 flagged a guy with a car parked with explosives. The system has also taken off in London.
Miami is the latest city with cameras seemingly everywhere .
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